Breaking: Jussie Smollett to Be Released - May Be Permanent - Public Anger Explodes
A judge is ordering convicted “hate crime” hoaxer Jussie Smollett to be released from prison.
Smollett had been sentenced to 150 days in jail.
An appeals court ruled that Smollett can be freed from custody while he appeals his conviction, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Just in from the IL appellate court – Jussie Smollett ordered released from jail pending appealhttps://t.co/J2Sfk6dv0v https://t.co/tINVyn6TOh pic.twitter.com/nHOTW4EuGL
— Megan Crepeau (@crepeau) March 16, 2022
The disgraced actor can leave jail after signing a $150,000 recognizance bond.
Twitter users reacted to the news with shock and outrage.
#BREAKING: Jussie Smollett has already been released from prison, pending the result of his appeal.
Unbelievable.
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) March 16, 2022
Of fu–ing course ???Judge orders Jussie Smollett be released from jail on bond pending his hate crime hoax conviction appealhttps://t.co/UNX4nI3C2K
— Jon Nicosia (@NewsPolitics) March 16, 2022
Smollett melted down in a Chicago court last week after learning his sentence, exclaiming that he wasn’t suicidal and continuing to deny any responsibility for an elaborate hate hoax.
He was initially held in a cell in the psychiatric ward of the Cook County Jail, Rolling Stone reported. He was later transferred to a cell in general population.
Smollett was convicted in December on five counts of felony disorderly conduct, a charge that covers the filing of fake police reports under Illinois law.
The actor was found guilty of orchestrating a plot to stage a fake “hate crime” attack, claiming he was beaten by two white Trump supporters in downtown Chicago.
Smollett hasn’t gotten out of jail time yet — he’ll have to return to the slammer to finish his sentence if his appeal is unsuccessful.
Smollett owes a total of $140,000 in fines and restitution to the city of Chicago, a sum prosecutors chalk up to the resources spent investigating his bogus claims of a racist attack.
Smollett could get out in as little as 75 days with good behavior, according to the Daily Mail.
His lawyers have cited anonymous threats to his safety in arguments to free him from custody.
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