Hollywood actor Samuel L. Jackson and his wife LaTanya Richardson Jackson have written a letter on behalf of hate crime hoaxer Jussie Smollett, asking Cook County Judge James Linn for leniency when sentencing the disgraced actor on Thursday.
“It is with the respect of knowing this, that I humbly implore you to please find an alternative to incarceration for Jussie Smollett,” the Jacksons wrote in their letter, obtained by Entertainment Tonight.
“It is my understanding that Jussie was convicted of Class 4, disorderly conduct, which to my understanding, people convicted of this offense historically are sentenced to various alternatives to incarceration,” the couple added.
In their letter, the Jacksons added that they have known Smollett since he was a baby living down the street from them in New York City.
“We have often broken bread with this young man as we discussed the right and wrong ways to live,” they continued. “Jussie comes from a good family whom we are proud to know intimately and who we know stand ready to provide the support and monitoring assistance that they can provide for him in an alternative probation scenario.”
“Jussie has already suffered a great deal of punishment, as this situation has destroyed his existing career and impugned his reputation,” they added. “Please Judge Linn, in God’s name, please save this young man and allow him to be of service. Jussie Smollett is worth the risk and the investment.”
On Thursday, Smollett arrived late to a Chicago courthouse for his sentencing, after being found guilty of lying to police over his the staged racist and homophobic attack he made against himself in January 2019.
On his way into the courtroom on Thursday, Smollett’s bodyguards shoved a photographer to the ground.
Smollett’s sentencing comes three months after the disgraced actor was found guilty of five counts of felony disorderly conduct for filing a false police report after he hired two brothers from Nigeria to stage the fake hate crime.
Inside the courtroom, the actor will be given a chance to admit that he had lied to police about the attack against him.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.