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Jussie Smollett went from celebrated LGBT+ star to convicted felon following a tense moment in a Chicago courtroom on Thursday night.
A majority white jury found Smollett guilty of 5 counts of disorderly conduct for lying to Chicago police.
Smollett, 39, was on trial for lying about a racist, homophobic hate crime that police say he orchestrated against himself with the help of two pals.
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Despite the guilty verdict, the leaders of Black Lives Matter in Los Angeles say they still stand with the disgraced actor. “So let’s be clear: we love everybody in our community. We can never believe police, especially the CPD over Jussie Smollett, a Black man who has been courageously present, visible, and vocal in the struggle for Black freedom,” BLM LA leader Melina Abdullah said before the verdict.
Now, after the verdict, Abdullah tells TMZ she has not changed her stance.
She says Smollett still has their full support. Abdullah says the organization refuses to abandon its people and stands on the principle that the justice system is corrupt, according to TMZ.
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Smollett faces up to 15 years in prison when he is sentenced in an upcoming hearing. He is currently free while he awaits sentencing.
Court observers say the judge may consider a perjury charge against Smollett for lying under oath when he repeatedly said, “There was no hoax.”
A perjury charge would guarantee prison time for the former “Empire” actor.
The judge may also order him to pay $130,000 in restitution to Chicago PD to cover its expenses for investigating the hoax.
