Stick a fork in it.
2/16/19 CNN:
Chicago (CNN)Two law enforcement sources with knowledge of the investigation tell CNN that Chicago Police believe actor Jussie Smollett paid two men to orchestrate an assault on him that he reported late last month.
2/17/19 [U.K.] Daily Mail has even more details:
Empire star Jussie Smollett has furiously denied paying two Nigerian brothers $3,500 to attack him and says he is 'angered and devastated' after investigators in Chicago claimed he orchestrated his own assault.
Smollett’s attorneys, Todd S. Pugh and Victor P. Henderson, told Entertainment Weekly: '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.'
His lawyers now say that one of men was Smollett’s personal trainer for a music video. They added: '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.' ...
That narrative, however, is now under serious scrutiny by investigators, who reportedly have evidence that Smollett directed his 'attackers' to buy the rope used in the 'assault' at a local hardware store.
Documents prove two Nigerian brothers who work as extras on the highly rated Fox drama bought the rope which was found around Smollett’s neck at Crafty Beaver Hardware Store in Chicago.
The brothers made the purchase on the weekend of January 25.
Wow! Chicago PD is way more effective than I expected.
Smollet is "angered and devastated" because the truth is coming out. It's surprising, since I thought the fix was in, being Chicago and that he's both gay and black, but apparently the Chicago PD didn't like being patsies for this attention-seeker.
ReplyDeleteI read somewhere that 12 detectives were assigned to this task; all those detectives searching the area in extreme cold, looking for clues to a nonexistent crime. I'll bet most of them knew immediately that this whole story was BS right from the start, and resented having to drop actual police work to be an extra in Smollet's private drama which was intended to make him famous. Well, he got fame all right!
It would be wonderful if he got jail time for this fraud, and who knows? It might even happen!