Empire star, Jussie Smollett reportedly paid two men to
orchestrate an assault on him that he reported late last month.
According to two law enforcement sources with knowledge of
the investigation who spoke to CNN, he actor paid two brothers to stage an
attack against him, directed them to buy items used in the alleged assault and
rehearsed it with them.
The men, who are brothers, were arrested and questioned by
police on Wednesday but released without charges Friday after Chicago police
cited the discovery of "new evidence."
Chicago police spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said:
“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.”
They were reportedly paid $3,500 before leaving for Nigeria
and were promised an additional $500 upon their return.
They left for Nigeria later in the day on Jan. 29, after the
attack.
Police raided the the brothers’ home on Wednesday, the same
day police met them at O’Hare International Airport, as they were returning
from Nigeria.
The sources stated that there are records that show the two
brothers purchased the rope found around Smollett's neck at a hardware store in
Chicago.
One of the brothers reportedly held the rope and poured
bleach while the other wore a plain red hat and yelled slurs at Smollett.
The sources say the red hat was bought at an Uptown beauty
supply store and that the attack was supposed to happen before Jan. 29. The
brothers who are now cooperating with police, stated that the all three of them
rehearsed the attack days prior to it happening.
Smollett told authorities he was attacked early January 29
by two men who were "yelling out racial and homophobic slurs." He
said one attacker put a rope around his neck and poured an unknown chemical
substance on him.
Smollett denies playing a role in his attack, according to
his attorneys, Todd S. Pugh and Victor P. Henderson, who issued a statement to
Saturday night saying Smollett was angry about these latest developments.
"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," the
statement read.
"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." it added
Smollett's attorneys said they expect further updates from
Chicago police on the investigation and will continue cooperating with
authorities.
"At the present time, Jussie and his attorneys have no
inclination to respond to 'unnamed' sources inside of the investigation, but
will continue discussions through official channels," the statement read.
Smollett identifies as gay and since 2015 has played the gay
character of Jamal on the Fox TV drama "Empire."
