Cook County Judge James Linn has sentenced Smollett to jail, branding the actor as a narcissistic charlatan for staging a hate crime against himself to grab the limelight while the nation struggled with wrenching issues of racial injustice.
Smollett in his response defiantly maintained his innocence and suggested he could be killed in jail.
His sentence and post-hearing outburst capped an hour-long hearing and more than three years of legal drama after Smollett’s claim that he had been the target of a racist and homophobic attack.
After his sentencing, Smollett removed the face mask he wore throughout the hearing to proclaim himself innocent.
The Gay actor said, “If I did this, then it means that I stuck my fist in the fears of Black Americans in this country for over 400 years and the fears of the LGBT community.
Your Honor, I respect you and I respect the jury but I did not do this. And I am not suicidal. And if anything happens to me when I go in there, I did not do it to myself. And you must all know that.”
Judge Linn sentenced Smollett to 30 months of felony probation, with 150 days served in Cook County Jail, and ordered that the actor pay $120,106 in restitution to the city of Chicago and a $25,000 fine.
