Disgraced ‘Empire’ star Jussie Smollett has walked out of jail after serving only six days of his 150-day sentence for faking a hate crime.
His lawyer said that the actor was refusing to eat in his cell and had ‘nearly given up.’
Smollett did not say anything as he walked into a waiting SUV after posting the required $150,000 personal recognizance bond.
Smollett’s attorney, Nenye Uche, said that the 39-year-old placed his hands on the glass separating them when he was told the news.
“He was shocked,” Uche said. “He had nearly given up.”
Smollett spent only two of his days with the general jail population and four in a psychiatric unit.
Judges ruled that he should be freed while his lawyers work on the appeal of his conviction.
“Obviously the Smollett family are very, very happy about this. We are elated,” Uche told the press. He also slammed the judge who presided over the actor’s trial in December.
Uche accused Judge James Linn of politicizing the trial, saying: “There is no room for politics in our court system, and our appellate courts do not play politics.”
He also questioned whether his client should’ve been tried, pointing out that charges against him were already dropped in March 2019 but filed again in 2020.
“I wondered to myself whether Chicago had succeeded from the union,” Uche said. “Because in this country, you cannot try someone twice. It is unconstitutional to try someone twice.”
“Mr Smollett paid a $10,000 fine and did community service. There is no time machine to go back again and redo it,” Uche continued.
“Then you retry the case. You give him 150 days in jail, and restitution.”
Uche also claimed that Smollett did not receive proper treatment because of his race.
“Should black men be walked into jail with a class four felony?” Uche asked. “Shame on you if you think so.”
“People are still trying to lock black men up and it’s a disgrace. The judge spent a great deal of time chastising, berating my client. I had never seen that before. I was not happy with it,” Uche added.
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