150 days is how many months? Jussie Smollett sentencing verdict explored as 'Empire' star is jailed

Jussie Smollett was sentenced to 150 days in jail for lying to police about being the victim of a racist and homophobic attack. Cook County Judge James Linn ordered that the jail sentence should start immediately after the hearing.

Smollett still claimed that he was innocent and insisted that he was not suicidal. He stood up at the defense table while his lawyers and sheriff’s deputies surrounded him and said:

“If I did this, then it means that I stuck my fist in fears of Black Americans in this country for over 400 years and the fears of the LGBT community. Your Honor, I respect you and I respect the jury but I did not do this. And I am not suicidal. And if anything happens to me when I go in there, I did not do it to myself. And you must all know that.”

As deputies took him out of the courtroom, he shouted that he was innocent. The judge also sentenced him to 30 months of felony probation and ordered him to pay $120,106 in restitution to the city of Chicago and a fine of $25,000.

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Details of Jussie Smollett’s sentencing

150 days adds up to almost five months, and Jussie Smollett has been sent to prison for the said amount of time.

The actor’s dramatic reaction led to an hour-long sentencing hearing. Prosecutor Dan Webb requested Linn to include an appropriate amount of prison time while sentencing Smollett for his conviction.

Jussie Smollett listens as his grandmother Molly testifies at his sentencing hearing (Image via Getty Images/Brian Cassella-Pool)

The singer’s attorneys also asked the judge to limit the sentence to community service, stating that he had already been punished by the criminal justice system that caused damage to his career.

Jussie’s attorneys also read out letters from other supporters where people requested Linn to consider the effects of the case on Smollett’s life and career. They even pointed out that the Empire star would be at risk in prison, considering his race, s*xual orientation, and his family’s Jewish heritage.

Although Linn considered the requests for mercy, he rejected a motion from the defense to overturn the jury’s verdict on legal grounds. The 39-year-old faced three years in prison for each of the five felony counts of disorderly conduct, and the charge filed for lying to the cops. He was acquitted on a sixth count.

Since Smollett did not have an extensive criminal history and the conviction was for a low-level non-violent crime, experts never thought that he would be sent to prison.