Jussie Smollett is on trial facing felony disorderly conduct in association with the alleged racial attack on him in 2019. The felony carries with it a prison sentence of up to three years – if Smollett is convicted he would be placed on probation and perhaps ordered to perform community service.
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Jussie Pays Siblings $3,500 US to Pose As His Attackers In Chicago
Smollett has maintained he was attacked in downtown Chicago on a frigid night in January 2019 by supporters of then-President Donald Trump.
But special prosecutor Dan Webb said the actor recruited brothers Bola and Ola Osundairo to help him carry out a fake attack, then reported it to Chicago police, who classified it as a hate crime and spent 3,000 staff hours on the investigation. Webb told jurors that the two brothers — who worked on the Empire set with Smollett — say the actor paid them $3,500 to pose as his attackers after he was unhappy about how the studio handled the letter he received. That letter included a drawing of a stick figure hanging from a tree and “MAGA,” a reference to Trump’s Make America Great Again campaign slogan, Webb said.
Last week, the brothers were interviewed by Defense Attorney Shay Allen. At one point, she insinuated that Abimbola was secretly dating Smollett to help advance his career, which he went on to deny. She also called for a mistrial in the Jussie Smollett trial Thursday, after a wild few moments in which she accused the judge of lunging at her.
Allen asked Abimbola if he and his brother told Smollett that they wouldn’t testify and he could make this “all go away,” by paying them each $1 million; he also denied it.
The same brother was asked about visiting a Chicago bathhouse that’s known for having a large gay clientele and allegedly playing pornography inside. Abimbola shared that he didn’t recall seeing porn on-screen at the spa, or having masturbated with Smollett there.
As far as why he attacked Jussie, Abimbola told Allen that he and his brother were asked to “fake beat [Smollett] up” because he felt that his security on the set of Empire wasn’t being taken seriously enough. “I said, ‘H to the ground, put the bruise on his face, then I saw some car lights and then ran away,” The trial is set to resume today.