Prison officials have moved former “Empire” star Jussie Smollett to a psychiatric ward after they deemed him a danger to himself by harming himself, according to the actor’s angry brother.
Two days after Josie was sentenced to five months in Chicago’s Cook County Jail for lying to police about a racist and anti-gay attack, the actor’s brother, Jockey Smollett, criticized his placement in a psychiatric ward as a “complete lack of justice.”
“What is very concerning is that there was a note attached to his papers today and in the front of his prison cell saying he is at risk of harming himself,” Jockey said in an Instagram video on Saturday.
“I just want to make it clear to people that you are in no way in danger of harming yourself,” he continued. “He wants people to know… that he is very stable, that he is very strong, that he is healthy and ready for the challenge that eventually comes his way.”
Josie’s sentencing came on Thursday, more than three years after the actor reported to police that he was attacked by two men who threw racist and homophobic insults at him, put a rope around his neck and doused him with a chemical in January of 2019.
The investigation led to Josie being accused of orchestrating the incident by having two brothers attack him. In December, Josie was found guilty of five counts of disorderly conduct for lying to police.
Josie, 39, has maintained his innocence. After receiving the verdict last Thursday, the actor declared that he “has no suicidal tendencies.”
“If something happened to me when I got in there, I didn’t do it myself,” he said at Leighton Criminal Court.
In an Instagram video, Joki also confirmed her brother’s innocence and condemned his transfer to a psychiatric ward.
This is not true, Joqui said. This is a complete lack of justice. He is angry. It’s outrageous.”
Cook County Jail officials have not publicly commented on Joqui’s claim.
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* Content translated from nydailynews.com
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