Jussie Smollett’s Alleged Hate Crime Case Headed to Grand Jury: Report

Jussie Smollett’s Alleged Hate Crime Case Headed to Grand Jury: Report
Actor and singer Jussie Smollett attends the "Empire" FYC Event in Los Angeles, Calif. on May 20, 2016. (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

The alleged assault case against “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett is headed to a grand jury early this week, according to a report.

TMZ reported that the grand jury will convene beginning this week, citing law enforcement sources.

It’s not clear what type of case will go before the grand jury. According to reports over the weekend, the two Nigerian brothers who were arrested late last week were released after revealing to detectives that Smollett paid them to stage the attack, which the actor then blamed on white President Donald Trump supporters.

According to TMZ, the brothers are staying somewhere in downtown Chicago under the eye of police officers “so no one gets to them.”

Brothers paid to attack Jussie Smollett
Abel Osundairo, left, and his brother Ola Osundairo, in a file photo. The Nigerian brothers were arrested in connection with the alleged attack on “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett but were released after reportedly telling detectives Smollett paid them to stage the attack. (Team Abel/Instagram)

“We’re told cops especially want to make sure Jussie does not contact the brothers,” the entertainment outlet claimed.

Mounting evidence appears to suggest that Smollett’s attack didn’t happen as he described.

Initially, the actor said two men wearing ski masks approached him on Jan. 29 around 2 a.m. in freezing temperatures and hurled slurs at him while tying a rope around his neck and pouring bleach on him. He claimed the men said that “this is MAGA” country, apparently in reference to Trump’s slogan “Make America Great Again.”

But law enforcement sources told CBS and Fox that the Nigerian brothers told them Smollett planned the attack and that it was fake. The trio even rehearsed the attack several days before Jan. 29 and Smollett gave the brothers money to buy the rope from one store and a red hat from another, according to the broadcasters.

jussie smollett 1
This image taken from surveillance video shows two people of interest in an attack on “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett walking along a street in the Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago, on Jan. 29, 2019. The two people were later identified as Nigerian brothers who were arrested but later released after conveying information to the police that “shifted the trajectory of the investigation.” (Courtesy of Chicago Police Department via AP)

Law enforcement sources told TMZ that the story was suspect from the beginning, especially the part about the assailants recognizing Smollett from “Empire.”

“Not a single Trump supporter watches ‘Empire,'” a source told TMZ.

apartment searched in smollett case
This Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019 photo shows an apartment that was searched by police in connection with an investigation of an alleged attack on actor Jussie Smollett in Chicago that he said happened on Jan. 29, 2019. (Nader Issa/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

The Chicago Police Department said in a statement obtained by Rafer Weigel, a Fox Chicago reporter, that “it’s certainly possible” that the case will go to a grand jury but that “it’s way too premature” to make that determination.

A police spokesman told Fox News on Sunday, “We have some information that needs to be corroborated and verified with Mr. Jussie Smollett before I can answer this question.”

Actor and singer Jussie Smollett
Actor Jussie Smollett arrives at the 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif. on Jan. 10, 2016. (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

In another statement, police confirmed information from the brothers “shifted the trajectory of the investigation.”

“We’ve reached out to the Empire cast member’s attorney to request a follow-up interview,” spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.

A spokesman added to Weigel that the grand jury could be a last resort if Smollett doesn’t voluntarily go in for questioning and noted the actor’s lawyers have given no indication to the police that he was planning on going in for questioning.

Smollett has maintained his innocence. His attorneys issued a statement on Saturday saying the actor would cooperate with police but said he was hurt by reports he may have been involved in staging the alleged attack.

“Nothing is further from the truth and anyone claiming otherwise is lying,” the statement said.

In an update on Monday, Smollett’s team said: “There are no plans for Jussie Smollett to meet with Chicago police today. Any news reports suggesting otherwise are inaccurate. Smollett’s attorneys will keep an active dialogue going with Chicago police on his behalf. We have no further comment.”