American actor and star of popular TV series, Empire, Jussie Smollet, has been found guilty in his hate crime charges.
The actor, who was arrested in 2019 for lying and faking a homophopic attack, has finally been found guilty after a two-year court battle.
According to reports, Jussie, in January 2019, had reported an attack on him on his way to his house late at night in Chicago.
He reported that two masked men attacked him, put a noose around his neck and also poured chemicals on him, while they were declaring their support for Donald Trump.
However, in February, the actor was arrested after the two masked men, two Nigerian brothers confessed to being paid by the actor for the charade.
The brothers, named Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo, said Jussie paid them $3,500 to stage the attack on him to get a boost in his career.
They also claimed Smollet gave them lines to yell, including “MAGA country,” a reference to ex-President, Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan.
Jussie initially denied the claim, accusing the brothers of lying. He also claimed that the cheque paid to them was for workout and their dietary plans.
The jury in December however didn’t buy the story. He was found guilty after a nine-hour deliberation.
The verdict came back as guilty on five out of six counts of disorderly conduct for lying to the Police.
The defense attorney, Nenye Uche, maintained that the conviction would be appealed, and also expressed confidence that his client’s name would be cleared.
Judge James Linn, who presided over the case, set a post-trial hearing for January 27. He also said he would schedule Smollett’s sentencing at a later date.
