CHICAGO --
Jussie Smollett started a 150-day jail sentence for staging a hate crime towards himself in protecting custody, separated from different detainees and watched by safety cameras and an officer, jail authorities mentioned Friday.
Sheriff's deputies instantly took Smollett to the Cook dinner County Jail on Thursday evening after Decide James Linn sentenced the Black and homosexual actor to 30 months of felony probation -- beginning with a five-month time period in jail -- for mendacity to police that he had been the goal of a racist and homophobic assault.
Smollett loudly maintained his innocence and urged he may very well be killed in jail.
"Your honor, I respect you and I respect the jury, however I didn't do that," Smollett mentioned Thursday. "And I'm not suicidal. And if something occurs to me once I go in there, I didn't do it to myself."
Smollett's sentence could put an finish -- pending appeals -- to greater than three years of authorized drama following the actor's report back to police that two males carrying ski masks beat him, and hurled racial and homophobic slurs at him on a darkish Chicago avenue and ran off.
Smollett's attorneys filed an emergency injunction Friday in search of Smollett's launch pending his attraction. An appellate court docket choose dominated prosecutors have 5 days to reply to the emergency movement, WMAQ-TV reported.
His attorneys additionally filed a discover of attraction in Cook dinner County Felony Court docket. They'd mentioned Thursday evening that they plan to attraction each the jury's responsible verdict and the choose's sentence.
Sooner or later earlier, a choose sentenced Smollett to 150 days in Cook dinner County Jail following his conviction for mendacity to police about being the sufferer of a hoax hate crime in 2019. Smollett was additionally sentenced to 30 months of felony probation, ordered to pay greater than $120,000 in restitution to the town of Chicago and was fined $25,000.
He started his sentence instantly after studying his destiny Thursday.
In an announcement on Friday, the Cook dinner County Sheriff's Workplace mentioned Smollett is being held in protecting custody -- typical for folks "who could doubtlessly be prone to hurt as a result of nature of their costs, their professions, or their noteworthy standing."
Smollett has his personal cell, monitored by safety cameras and an officer stationed on the door and carrying a physique digicam, the sheriff's workplace mentioned. Smollett is ready to have "substantial time" in frequent areas to make use of the cellphone, watch TV and work together with workers however different detainees will not be in frequent areas with him.
Smollett confronted as much as three years in jail for every of the 5 felony counts of disorderly conduct -- the cost filed for mendacity to police -- of which he was convicted. He was acquitted on a sixth rely.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot praised the sentence, saying it sends a message that "false claims and allegations" wouldn't be tolerated.
"The town feels vindicated in in the present day's ruling that he's being held accountable and that we'll appropriately obtain restitution for his actions," she mentioned in an announcement.
Smollett's sentence features a cost of $120,106 in restitution to the town and a $25,000 high-quality.
Smollett was convicted in a December jury trial, the place witnesses included two brothers who informed jurors Smollett paid them to hold out the assault and gave particular instructions on what to do and say.
Smollett, who knew the boys from his work on the tv present "Empire" that filmed in Chicago, testified that he didn't acknowledge them and didn't know they have been the boys attacking him.
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