Jussie Smollett deserves prison time for orchestrating hoax hate crime, lying to a jury, prosecutor argues

CHICAGO — Actor Jussie Smollett deserves prison time for faking a shocking hate crime on himself in Chicago on a frigid January night in 2019, a special prosecutor argued at Smollett’s sentencing Thursday.

While special prosecutor Dan Webb did not recommend a specific term behind bars, he said Smollett’s “serious criminal conduct” surrounding the case coupled with his decision to take the witness stand and lie to a Cook County jury meant that prison time was warranted.

“Mr. Smollett made the choice that he could deceive that jury, and he went on the stand and lied to them about so many different things,” Webb said in his argument. “ ... It was a ridiculous story.”

Webb also said that in the three years since the January 2019 attack, Smollett has never once apologized for the impact his crime had on the city or the victims of real hate crimes who have trouble getting police to believe