Actor Jussie Smollett, known for his involvement in a hate crime hoax, is seeking an appeal with the Illinois Supreme Court, aiming to overturn his conviction for fabricating a hate crime against himself in 2019.
According to a report by Chicago’s WGN-TV, Smollett’s legal team is urging the Illinois Supreme Court to review his case, which resulted in a guilty verdict for filing a false police report.
In 2019, Smollett claimed he was assaulted by homophobic racists during a late-night visit to a Subway sandwich shop in Chicago. However, evidence revealed that Smollett orchestrated the attack, hiring two brothers from Nigeria to stage the incident.
In his appeal, Smollett’s attorney argues that the prosecution’s case poses a threat to existing non-prosecution agreements between defendants and prosecutors. The lawyer contends that the dismissal of charges against Smollett was the outcome of a collaborative agreement between the state and the actor, following his fulfillment of the conditions set forth.
In March 2022, Smollett was sentenced to 150 days in Cook County jail, along with probation, restitution of $120,106, and a $25,000 fine. Despite his protestations of innocence, Smollett spent only six nights in jail before being released pending his appeal.
Smollett’s case returned to the spotlight in December when an Illinois appeals court upheld his convictions and jail sentence, prompting his return to jail.