American actor Jussie Smollett has been sentenced to jail for staging a “disgraceful” scheme to fake a hate crime.
The ruling was given by a Chicago judge on Thursday, March 10, 2022.
According to the judge, the actor will be spending five months in prison for concocting a fake hate crime.
“I’m innocent! I could’ve said I was guilty a long time ago!” Smollett said as he was led away in handcuffs and remanded into custody.
“I did not do this and I am not suicidal and if anything happens to me when I go there, I did not do it to myself and you must all know that.”
The ruling came months after he was found guilty of five out of six-count charges levelled against him.
Smollett was sentenced to 30 months of probation, the first five of which he must spend in the Cook County jail, and ordered to pay the city of Chicago $120,000 in restitution and a $25,000 fine after he was found guilty on five counts of felony disorderly conduct following his eight-day trial late last year.
The actor claimed to have been attacked by two men who beat him up, tied a noose around his neck, and poured bleach on him.
It would be recalled that Smollett was hospitalised after he was reportedly injured by two men in what looks like a homophobic attack back in January 2019.
There were reportedly two men wearing ski masks that viciously attacked Jussie as he fought back.
He suffered a fractured rib, and the attackers put a rope around his neck and poured bleach on him as they yelled, “This is MAGA country.”
The Osundairo brothers were later named in the alleged attack on Smollett.