Jussie Smollett begins serving 150-day sentence in Cook County Jail

Thursday’s listening to ended dramatically as Smollett acquired up from his seat and declared his innocence and his concern for his personal security.

WATCH | Jussie Smollett’s emotional outburst in court docket

The 39-year was expressionless and his household and others within the courtroom shocked as Prepare dinner County Decide James Linn handed down sentencing.

“You’ll spend the primary 150 days of your sentence within the Prepare dinner County Jail, and that may begin as we speak. Proper right here, proper now,” Decide Linn mentioned.

In contemplating the sentence, Linn mentioned Smollett’s “excessive” premeditation of the crime was an aggravating issue. He additionally mentioned the actor had denigrated the experiences of actual hate crime victims, calling him a “charlatan” and a liar.

“You bought on the witness stand. You did not have to. You probably did. You definitely had a proper to. However you dedicated hour upon hour upon hour of perjury,” Linn mentioned.

WATCH | Decide Linn’s full sentencing remarks

Whereas in jail, Smollett additionally begins 30 months of probation along with being ordered to pay greater than $120,000 in restitution to the town of Chicago and a $25,000 positive.

The disgraced actor then addressed the court docket.

“I’m not suicidal,” Smollett mentioned. “I’m not suicidal! I’m harmless! And I’m not suicidal. If I did this, then it signifies that I caught my fist within the fears of Black Individuals on this nation for 400 years and the fears of the LGBTQ neighborhood. Your honor, I respect you, and I respect the jury, however I didn’t do that, and I’m not suicidal. And if something occurs to me once I go in there, I didn’t do it to myself! And you have to all know that!”

The sentence got here three months after Smollett was convicted of 5 counts of felony disorderly conduct for mendacity to Chicago police.

Earlier than sending Smollett to jail for the following 5 months, Decide Linn mentioned the actor had denigrated the experiences of actual hate crime victims, calling him a “charlatan” and a liar.

“You bought on the witness stand,” Decide Linn mentioned. “You did not have to. You probably did. You definitely had a proper to. However you dedicated hour upon hour upon hour of pure perjury.”

Smollett was nonetheless proclaiming his innocence as he was led out of court docket after sentencing.

“I’m harmless!” he mentioned. “I may have mentioned I used to be responsible a very long time in the past!”

WATCH | Household defends Jussie Smollett’s innocence after sentencing

The sentencing outraged Smollett’s household, who slammed the decide after sentencing.

“My brother Jussie is harmless this shouldn’t be a controversial assertion as a result of it’s the absolute fact,” mentioned Jazz Smollett, Jussie’s sister.

“He shamed my brother,” Jojo Smollett, Jussie’s brother, mentioned. “He spoke about his conceitedness. He does not know concerning the battle my brother is encountering.”

Report on Kim Foxx’s workplace’s dealing with of Jussie Smollett case made public, decide guidelines

In the meantime, Particular Prosecutor Dan Webb praised the decide.

“This was a course of conduct that deserved extreme punishment,” Webb mentioned. “I believed it was the precise approach to do it. And I do imagine that primarily based on the sentencing he acquired that Decide Linn clearly understood precisely what had occurred on this case.”

Smollett’s protection group mentioned they’re shocked and vowed to enchantment.

“I’ve by no means seen in my complete profession as an legal professional, and not one of the different attorneys right here have ever seen a state of affairs the place a category 4 felony will get the identical remedy as a violent offense,” mentioned protection legal professional Nenye Uche.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot applauded the decide’s ruling, writing: “The legal conviction of Jussie Smollett by a jury of his friends and as we speak’s sentencing ought to ship a transparent message to everybody within the Metropolis of Chicago that false claims and allegations won’t be tolerated. The malicious and wholly fabricated declare made by Mr. Smollett resulted in over 1500 hours of police work that price the Metropolis over $130,000 in police additional time. The Metropolis feels vindicated in as we speak’s ruling that he’s being held accountable and that we are going to appropriately obtain restitution for his actions.”

Jussie Smollett verdict: ‘Empire’ actor responsible of disorderly conduct; protection vows enchantment

Smollett’s sentencing listening to comes three months after the actor was convicted of faking a hate crime in opposition to himself. Smollett instructed Chicago police he was the sufferer of a racist and homophobic assault in Streeterville again in January 2019.

After a protracted investigation and years in court docket, Smollett was convicted of 5 of six felony counts of disorderly conduct for mendacity to police. He confronted a most sentence of three years in jail for all counts.