Above: Jussie Smollett (with arm raised) is led out of court after his sentencing last week.Jussie Smollett has been released from jail while he appeals his disorderly conduct convictions related to a hate crime hoax.Smollett was sentenced last Thursday to 150 days in Cook County Jail in Chicago, along with 30 months of probation, and ordered to pay the city of Chicago $120,000 in restitution.
He was convicted by a Cook County jury in December of five counts of disorderly conduct. The jury found that he staged a racist, antigay hate-crime attack on himself in 2019 and lied to police about it.
Judge James Linn ordered the former Empire star to begin serving his jail time immediately.But the Illinois Appellate Court ruled Wednesday that Smollett can remain free during his appeal of the convictions, and he was then released, the Associated Press reports.
Smollett’s attorneys said his sentence would be over by the time the appeals process played out, and they asserted that he would be in danger in the jail.