Jussie Smollett is scheduled to be sentenced Thursday for his role in lying to police about an alleged hate crime in 2019. Smollett, best known for his role in the TV show “Empire,” was convicted in December of five counts of lying to police about the attack but has maintained throughout his extensive legal battles that it was real.
Smollett faces up to three years in prison for each of the five felony counts.
The sentencing will bring a temporary end to Smollett’s battle regarding the attack, which frustrated the Chicago Police Department and led to Smollett being fired from “Empire” at the height of the show’s popularity.
On January 29, 2019, the Black and gay actor told Chicago police he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack. He claimed two men followed him down a street late at night, yelling slurs before tossing an “unknown chemical substance” on him and placing a noose around his neck.
But police and prosecutors alleged that Smollett paid brothers Abel and Ola Osundairo $3,500 to stage the attack. The brothers testified that Smollett asked them to carry out a fake attack.
