Jussie Smollett Allegedly Paid ‘Empire’ Extras To Stage Attack, Cops Say

Jussie Smollett Allegedly Paid ‘Empire’ Extras To Stage Attack, Cops Say


“Empire” actor Jussie Smollett allegedly paid two brothers $3,500 to stage an assault against him, going so far as to rehearse the attack with them, police sources told CBS Chicago.
Smollett has claimed that two men looped a rope around his neck and hurled racist and homophobic slurs at him on Jan. 29. “They called me a f-----t, they called me a n----r,” Smollett said a "Good Morning America" interview on Feb. 14. “There's no which way you cut it. I don't need some MAGA hat as the cherry on some racist sundae.”
Questions about the veracity of Smollett’s account have been growing in recent days, however. Sources told the news station that at least one of the brothers bought the rope at Smollett’s request. Smollett also paid for the rope at Crafty Beaver Hardware Store, located in the Ravenswood neighborhood, the weekend prior to the incident, sources reportedly claimed.
The brothers, who appeared as extras on "Empire," were allegedly paid $3,500 to participate in the attack, and then promised they would receive an additional $500 after returning from a trip to Nigeria, the sources claimed. They traveled to Africa shortly after the attack, per the report.
The brothers, who were arrested on suspicion of their role in the alleged attack earlier this week, after they came back from Nigeria, were released Friday.
Chicago Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement “We can confirm that the information received from the individuals questioned by police earlier in the 'Empire' case has in fact shifted the trajectory of the investigation. We’ve reached out to the 'Empire' cast member’s attorney to request a follow-up interview.”
Smollet’s lawyers have said that he felt “victimized” by reports suggesting that the attack was staged.
Smollett’s attorneys, Todd S. Pugh and Victor P. Henderson, released a statement Saturday about the latest allegations.“ As a victim of a hate crime who has cooperated with the police investigation, Jussie Smollett is angered and devastated by recent reports that the perpetrators are individuals he is familiar with. He has now been further victimized by claims attributed to these alleged perpetrators that Jussie played a role in his own attack. Nothing is further from the truth and anyone claiming otherwise is lying. One of these purported suspects was Jussie’s personal trainer who he hired to ready him physically for a music video. It is impossible to believe that this person could have played a role in the crime against Jussie or would falsely claim Jussie’s complicity."
Authorities’ recent skepticism of Smollet’s account marks a dramatic shift from their prior position, in which they disputed reports that the attack was a hoax.


Poor DPST's - all about the "Feelings"
Cannot even run a hoax!!!
I hope he is charged and forwarded to a Grand Jury!

He should be charged.

What innocent person would hire a defense lawyer?
And he blamed it on 2 black guys. Damn, he is dumb as a box of rocks.

Not guilty until proven guilty in a court of Law
Not Guilty is not the same as "Proven innocent"
He is entitled to legal representation in our system - I am glad of it.

The way this is going with the CPD investigation - he needs a good defense attorney.



Even if charged, tried, and convicted - he will be a be a "Victim Hero" to the MSM and DPST's for his "courageous stand against racism and intolerance by vicious Trumpists".

All publicity is good publicity.

Paraphrased from Goebbels

the media and the lefts take:

first off, the cops are racist

he is courageous for bringing up the issue of maga country and nooses and the racist idea of bleaching a black persons skin

as an artist and actor, all was brave performance art on his part and should be seen in that light alone

if it really didn't happen to him, its happening somewhere to people with less platform and power

a go fund me page to be established to cover his noose and bleach purchase, payment to co-actors and for his attorneys

Hey, the important thing is even if it DIDN’T happen, it could have.

This is in the same line of thought that says.......”It’s not whether someone committed a crime or not, it’s the seriousness of the accusation”.

Thank you - JS and NGIT

Where have the DPST's gone?
Long time passing!
Crickets!

Originally Posted by I B Hankering

well spoken and funny

but also

reminiscent of the tight shot on this week with george stephanopoulos when martha raddatz
showed only a real tight shot of the kid sandman and the indian making it appear the kid had encroached on a righteous and prayerful ancestral chant of a solitary pure indigenous hero with a dismissive sneer and smirk

media history is replete with such

Complete silence from our other half members. Their silence says a lot! Hypocrits.....

Has Jessie Smollett confirmed the attackers were actually black?

Has Jessie Smollett confirmed the attackers were actually black? Originally Posted by friendly fred

Yeah. His dumb ass made the claim on Good Morning America that he was sure the two men in the police video were the ones that had assaulted him. The police already knew from phone calls to uber/taxi who the men were and arrested them at O'Hare that same evening (as they returned from Nigeria). Smollett was unaware the police had gotten that far. No doubt, that's why Smollett refused to share his phone records, because he'd been using his phone to coordinate with his so-called "attackers".

Yeah. His dumb ass made the claim on Good Morning America that he was sure the two men in the police video were the ones that had assaulted him. The police already knew from phone calls to uber/taxi who the men were and arrested them at O'Hare that same evening (as they returned from Nigeria). Smollett was unaware the police had gotten that far. No doubt, that's why Smollett refused to share his phone records, because he'd been using his phone to coordinate with his so-called "attackers". Originally Posted by I B Hankering

So he was just trying to make a statement about how horrible it is to be gay and frame a couple of black dudes...amazing.

But he claimed they called him the N word, didn't he?

So he was just trying to make a statement about how horrible it is to be gay and frame a couple of black dudes...amazing.

But he claimed they called him the N word, didn't he? Originally Posted by friendly fred

Smollett never said his attacker's were black. He said they were Trump supporters that used the "N" word to insult him. He paid them $4,000 to use the "N" word and insult him.

Smollett never said his attacker's were black. He said they were Trump supporters that used the "N" word to insult him. He paid them $4,000 to use the "N" word and insult him. Originally Posted by I B Hankering

If Smollett actually did that I think he has an insanity defense...