'EMPIRE' Star Convicted of Faking Hate Crime on Self Files Appeal

Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

iHeartPodcasts and CrimeOnline

True Crime, News

3.9 • 7.6K Ratings

🗓️ 17 June 2023

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Empire co-star Jussie Smollett is out of jail while attorneys appeal his conviction for lying to police about a hate crime attack against him. Smollett began serving his 150 day sentence, but just days later the actor was released. Smollett’s attorneys arguing that he would complete the sentence by the time the process was completed. They also cited homophobic threats received by the actor in their request for emergency release. The special prosecutor responded to the motion by saying it was “factually incorrect.” Two of the three members of the appellate court agreed with Smollett’s attorneys.

Now just hours before the court's final deadline to file, the paperwork was delivered to the court.

Joining Nancy Grace today:

Matthew Mangino - Attorney, Former District Attorney (Lawrence County), Former Parole Board Member, Author: "The Executioner's Toll: The Crimes, Arrests, Trials, Appeals, Last Meals, Final Words and Executions of 46 Persons in the United States"
Dr. Shari Schwartz - Forensic Psychologist (specializing in Capital Mitigation and Victim Advocacy), www.panthermitigation.com, Twitter: https://twitter.com/TrialDoc, Author: "Criminal Behavior" and "Where Law and Psychology Intersect" (Miami Beach, FL)
Paul Szych - Former Police Commander (Albuquerque, NM), Author: "StopHimFromKillingThem" on Amazon Kindle, StopHimFromKillingThem.com, Twitter: @WorkplaceThreat
Alexis Tereszcuk - CrimeOnline.com Investigative Reporter, Writer/Fact Checker, Lead Stories dot Com, Twitter: @swimmie2009

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Nancy Grace here for our partners at Azure Standard America's premier supplier of organic foods
0:06.6	and over 12,000 healthful products. Founded by organic pioneer and farmer David Stelser,
0:14.0	Azure's goal is to provide healthy, affordable food that's organic, non-GMO, and free of harmful
0:21.3	chemicals. Go to azurestandard.com. Membership is always free and it's so easy to get started.
0:29.5	Thank you, azurestandard, for being our partner.
0:38.8	Crime stories with Nancy Grace.
0:46.5	Why won't he go away? I'm talking about race, attack, faker, just eat, smell it. You know,
0:58.0	when people are given everything beyond their wildest imaginations, fame, he was a star of empire,
1:06.9	you know, a hit program on cable TV. Many people think he's handsome and charismatic,
1:15.7	making money hand over fist. What more does this guy want? He's got a loving family, his mother adores
1:25.3	him. Well, it ain't ever yet. After Jesse Smollett convicted of staging a hate crime on himself,
1:37.6	gravy, he has now filed an appeal. He is filing an appeal of his conviction for staging an anti-gay,
1:48.5	racist attack on himself and then lying to Chicago police about it, also letting two brothers,
1:58.0	the Ocendoro brothers, take the fall. But where did the whole thing start? And does this guy
2:07.4	have a chance on appeal? I want you to listen to this from the Today Show.
2:17.8	I was guilty a long time ago. Even after a cook County judge sentenced Jesse Smollett to 150 days in
2:24.2	jail, the disgraced actor turned convicted felon, sticky to his story. If I did this, then it means
2:30.5	that I stuck my fist in the fears of black Americans in this country for over 400 years.
2:35.3	The former empire stars on wavering claim of innocence, ultimately his undoing.
2:40.4	You committed hour upon hour upon hour of pure perjury. Judge James Lynn sentencing Smollett to
2:47.2	30 months felony probation, including that jail time, ordering he pay more than 120 thousand
2:53.2	dollars in restitution to the city of Chicago and pay the maximum fine, 25 thousand dollars.
	...

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