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Jussie Smollett in ‘psych ward’ at jail, family allegedly receiving threatening phone calls
*WARNING: Article contains strong language that may not be suitable for some readers.*CHICAGO — Family members of Jussie Smollett claim they have received harassing and threatening phone calls since the actor began serving five months of jail time for staging a hate crime hoax in 2019.Smollett's defense team released a statement on Monday that said Jussie's siblings started getting "bombarded with phone threats" on Friday, the morning after the former Empire actor checked into the Cook County Jail.DOWNLOAD THE FOX 32 CHICAGO APP FOR BREAKING NEWS ALERTS"The morning after Jussie checked into the jail, his sibling who’s [sic] phone number is his emergency contact started being bombarded with phone threats about harm that would be done to Jussie in the jail," the statement said.Attorneys said a male caller used profane, racist and homophobic language and the call came from an unlisted number.The supporters of Jussie Smollett said he is being mistreated by a racist system after he was sentenced to jail time for staging a hate crime against himself. They held a rally outside the Cook County Jail in Chicago."Hi, this is n***** lives matter.