Jussie Smollett is “100 percent confident” he will be cleared by an appeals court on charges he staged a hate crime, his attorney proclaimed Thursday.
The comments came shortly after a Chicago criminal court jury delivered a guilty verdict against the ex-“Empire” actor, who had claimed he was attacked in 2019 by two Donald Trump supporters who tied a noose around his neck and splashed bleach on him while hurling racist and anti-gay slurs.
“We feel 100 percent confident that this case will be won on appeal,” said Nenye Uche, lead attorney for the defense. “Unfortunately, that’s not the route we wanted but sometimes that’s the route you have to take to win, especially a case where we remain 100 percent confident in our client’s innocence.”
Smollett was found guilty on five of six felony charges of disorderly conduct for filing a false police report.
“He’s a human being, he’s disappointed — but I will tell you this: I am very proud of him, I’m very, very proud of him,” Uche said. “He’s holding up very strong, he’s committed to clearing his name and he’s 100 percent confident that he’s going to get cleared by the appellate court.”
Smollett, 39, was accused of staging the Jan. 29, 2019, attack with brothers Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo to garner attention amid heightened racial tensions in the country. Smollett, who is black and openly gay, contended he was a real victim of a hate crime.
