Although the charges that Jussie Smollett allegedly filed a false report were dropped, others charged for the same thing, but lacking Hollywood or political ties, have been prosecuted and sentenced.
In fact, a 30-minute search turned up seven people in Illinois with similar charges to those of Jussie Smollett whose sentences included probation, at the least.
Here are the seven:
- On November 9, 2011, the RRStar.com reported that a 19-year-old Rockford, Illinois, woman received a sentence of two years probation and 40 hours of community service for filing a false report. She was also ordered to undergo counseling. The woman falsely claimed that “she had been threatened at gunpoint.”
- On August 28, 2012, CBS Chicago reported that a 47-year-old Riverside, Illinois, woman was sentenced to 18 months probation for filing a false police report. She was also ordered to pay $1,800 in “overtime cost” for Riverside officers who worked extra hours in an attempt to find the individual she falsely claimed assaulted her.
- On September 30, 2015, the Daily News reported that a 22-year-old Effingham, Illinois, man who filed a false report about “being shot by someone else,” was sentenced to 30 months of probation. He also had to fulfill 100 hours of community service and “pay $5,000 in restitution to the Effingham County Sheriff’s Department.”
- On July 14, 2016, the Herald-Whig reported that a 24-year-old Golden, Illinois, woman was sentenced to 18 months probation for falsely claiming she had been stabbed at a car wash. She was also ordered to complete 60 hours of community service and to pay nearly $1,000 to the Adams County Sheriff’s Office.
- On November 3, 2016, WSPYNews reported that a 46-year-old Marseilles, Illinois, man was sentenced to 30 months probation for filing a false report about a man pointing a gun at him. The 46-year-old was also ordered to pursue mental health care.
- Chicago’s WGN reports that two individuals — Katie Mager and Ryan Reieirsgaard — “received two years probation and fines of a few hundred dollars” for filing a false report in 2017. The couple claimed a robber with a knife had taken a “$12,000 engagement ring and other valuables.”
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.