Actor Smollett's Conviction Upheld By Cook County Appeals Court

In a 2-1 decision issued on Friday, judges determined that prosecutors did not commit double jeopardy in charging Smollett, who faced the charges in connection with falsely reporting a hate crime. Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx had previously dropped charges against the former “Empire” actor, who was accused of hiring two brothers to stage and racist and homophobic attack on Smollett. Smollett was sentenced in 2021 to spend 150 days in jail and was ordered to pay more than $130,000 in restitution as well as 30 months of probation...