( 📸: Getty Images )
Cousins! Former Fox Empire star Jussie Smollett is making moves in seeking a brand new trial in response to his previous jail conviction where he was incarcerated for reportedly staging a hate crime on himself!
According to the Daily Mail, Jussie has forwarded an official appeal of his conviction where he had been declared guilty of lying to local Chicago police officials and staging an anti-gay and racist attack on himself.
As we previously reported Jussie was sentenced to 150 days behind bars in March 2022 after a jury declared him of being guilty of felony disorderly conduct.
It has been indicated that Jussie had previously provided details to officials that he had been attacked back in January 2019 within a darkened Chicago street by two men wearing masks. He is said to have issued details that a noose was thrown over his neck, chemicals poured over his head with racial and homophobic slurs shouted at him. Jussie is said to have described his attackers as being supporters of President at the time, Donald Trump.
Following an investigation that later developed into a trial, an overseeing judge had concluded that Jussie had hired Nigerian brothers Abimola and Olabinjo Osundario to attack him.
Prior to his sentencing prosecutors claimed that Jussie had met up with the brothers days before the incident to rehearse the attack. However the 40 year old is said to have stated that they were not meeting up to plan the attack but instead were was actually smoking marijuana together. Jussie had also revealed he had ‘made out and masturbated’ with Abimola during their visit to a bathhouse.
Following his issued sentencing Jussie exited from prison exactly six days later after an appeals court order was directed for his release from custody pending an appeal of his conviction.
On March 2nd roughly one year after his conviction, Jussie’s representing attorney issued a 102 page appeal calling for a new trial. ‘Mr. Smollett’s constitutional rights to due process and to a fair trial were denied by prosecutorial misconduct including allegations that a defense witness was pressured to change his statement…and shifting the burden during closing arguments.’
The Osundario brothers have also decided to take legal action on their own behalf as they’ve been stated to have filed a defamation lawsuit in response to Jussie’s previous comments. Together they declare that the actor has issued statements that describe them as bring racist, homophonic, and viciously violent.
As per the Daily Mail, a five part docuseries titled ‘Jussie Smollett: Anatomy of a Hoax’, is set to debut on March 11th a part of the Fox Nation network.
The series will feature an interview from the Osundario brothers as they speak out to the public for the very first time about their encounter.
Cousins, will you be tapping in? 👀