CHICAGO — Jurors have reached a verdict in Jussie Smollett’s trial for allegedly orchestrating and reporting a fake hate crime on himself.
The panel of six men and six women deliberated for more than nine hours Wednesday and into Thursday before informing the court they had reached a decision, court personnel said. The verdict is expected to be read in the courtroom of Judge James Linn shortly.
Jurors heard from 13 witnesses over several days of testimony that began late last month.
Smollett, 39, is charged with six counts of disorderly conduct for allegedly lying to police about the January 2019 incident. The actor faces up to three years in prison if convicted, though with no prior criminal record, it's far more likely he would receive a sentence of probation.
Smollett, 39, faces six counts of disorderly conduct for allegedly giving false information to Chicago police about the alleged racial and homophobic attack on a frigid night in January 2019.
The jury heard closing arguments earlier Wednesday.
The jury first heard from special prosecutor Dan Webb, who said Smollett committed a crime by falsely reporting a hate crime, and that what he did was “just plain wrong” to denigrate something as serious as a hate crime.
Webb said it was particularly egregious for Smollett to make sure his plan “had words and symbols” emblematic of this country’s racist past — including a noose and the use of the N-word.
When Smollett attorney Nenye Uche addressed the panel, he said the prosecution’s case was riddled with “doubts” and built on the testimony of two brothers who are criminals and “certified liars.”
Uche also questioned why Smollett would instruct his attackers to wear pro-Trump hats and yell slogans like “This is MAGA country!”
“He’s dumb enough to go into Obama’s city and pretend there’s Trump supporters running around with MAGA hats?” he said. “Give me a break.”
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