Former "Empire" movie star sentenced 150 days in jail, for fake hate crime incident
The one-time actor of TV drama, 'Empire' claimed his attackers were racist and homophobic towards him.
A Chicago court has sentenced US actor, Jussie Smollett, to 150 days in prison for staging a hate crime on himself.
The one-time actor of TV drama "Empire," will also serve 30 months on probation.
The judge also ordered that he pays over $120,000 in restitution and fined him $25,000 as well.
The actor, who is black and gay, is said to have lied to the police that he was attacked by assailants.
He claimed that his attackers shouted racist and homophobic slurs at him and other expressions in support of former President Donald Trump, that they dumped a "chemical substance" on him and tied a noose around his neck during a late-night walk in January 2019.
The attackers, Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo, who testified in court last year said Smollett paid them $3,500 to stage the attack.
He was found guilty in December on five charges of felony, disorderly conduct even though he consistently maintained that he was innocent.
According to media outlet the Reuters, Smollett's acting career declined after the incident. He also lost his role as a singer-songwriter in the final season of "Empire," a Fox television hip-hop drama that ended a five-year run in 2020.
