Convicted in fake hate crime plot, what real punishments are possible for Jussie Smollett?
CHICAGO — Jussie Smollett walked out of the Leighton Criminal Court Building on Thursday evening stone-faced, surrounded by family, followed by a swarm of reporters shouting questions and photographers angling for a shot.
The courthouse frenzy at the conclusion of Smollett’s criminal trial was nothing new for his case, which for nearly three years has drawn a level of attention typically reserved for serious offenses such as public corruption, sexual abuse or murder.
Smollett, by contrast, stands convicted of one of the lowest-level felonies Illinois has on the books — and the likelihood of him seeing prison time is probably low.
A jury on Thursday found Smollett guilty on five out of six counts of disorderly conduct, a Class 4 felony, alleging he falsely reported to police that he was a victim of a hate crime attack in the early morning hours of Jan. 29, 2019.
The verdict capped off eight days of a closely watched trial, during which prosecutors
