It’s Not Over Yet: Revisiting the Jusse Smollett Alleged Hoax or Hate Crime

Editor’s Note: A PR firm representing actor Jussie Smollett issued a press release stating that “every iota” of the actor’s story about being attacked by Trump supporters is true despite the city of Chicago insisting otherwise.

Smollett alleged he was attacked this January by two assailants donning Make America Great Again caps that targeted him because he is gay and black.

“This is MAGA country!” Smollett said the men said as they poured bleach on him and tied a rope around his neck.

“Every iota of information … Smollett has stated has been fully corroborated,” the PR statement said in part, but failed to state what evidence allegedly backs Smollett’s claim that masked Trump supporters, using racist and homophobic insults, beat him and looped a noose around his neck.

Chicago Police launched an investigation into the incident and suspect Smollett paid two men to attack him. Chicago authorities cited GPS evidence, canceled checks, and video recordings as evidence that proves the crime was a hoax.

According to police and prosecutors, the two men, Nigerian nationals, [not Trump supporters] worked with Smollett on the set of Empire, which filmed in Chicago.

Chicago prosecutors initially charged Smollett with 16 felonies related to faking the hate crime, but Cook County State Attorney Kim Foxx dropped all charges, calling the criminal pursuit “excessive.”

Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx says prosecuting Smollett for his alleged hoax is excessive and she saw to it that all 16 felony charges were dropped against him.

Last week former U.S. Attorney Dan Webb was appointed as special prosecutor to investigate Smollett and Foxx’s peculiar handling of the case.

Since the case is very much alive – despite some excellent efforts to sweep it under the carpet – I thought it would be good to review Paul Serran’s report on it. Serran makes the difficult case appear easy and is a good primer on Smollett as we try to uncover whether “every iota” of Smollett’s story is true or pure bullshit. 

Jussie’s Hoax: the Case Files

Paul Serran is a journalist, writer, and musician. He lives in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

By Paul Serran 

Smollett’s Story

This is Jusse Smollett’s story.

On January 29, 2019, singer/actor Jussie Smollett, from the “Empire” series, leaves his fancy Chicago building after 1 A.M., and goes down the stairs that lead to the street’s lower level.

He finds himself in the corner of New Street and Water Street. He proceeds east, and then north, trying to find a store that was still open, to buy a late-night lunch.

That led him to a Subway store, in North McClurg Court.

Smollett calls his creative director Frank Gaston Jr., who is staying at his apartment. Frank orders a tuna sub, and Jessie gets a salad for himself.

Walking back to his home, Smollett is on the phone with his music manager, Brandon Z. Moore.

Back in the corner of New Street and Water Street, he is attacked by two men in dark clothes and ski masks. They use racial and homophobic slurs and beat him.

 They put a noose around his neck, and pour bleach on him.

“This is MAGA country!” – they say.

The attackers then run south on New Street, past the pub Lizzie’s, then they take a right at the Chicago River Esplanade.

This is the report filed by the responding officers. Read it as carefully as you can. I will try to “un-redact” the police files as much as possible.

 A few days later, Chicago P.D. released the bodycam footage of the police officers arriving at Smollett’s house, where he is still wearing the rope around his neck.

Smollett was treated for bruises, scratches and sore ribs at the Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where the responding detectives interviewed him. This time he was sure: One of the attackers was white.

The stage was set: from all corners of the MSM, a wave of indignation and false information, to carry the water for the hoax narrative.

If there is a moral to this story, it is this: “Kids, don’t try this at home.”

Amateur hoaxers like Smollett have “zero” chance against professional cops – as we will see.

A quick spoiler take on the investigation looks like this: detectives canvass the area for footage from multiple security cameras.

They quickly spot the suspects, and reconstruct backwards their itinerary until they catch them getting off a cab.

The cab driver says that he picked them just as they disembarked a black UBER SUV – which he felt was rather odd.

UBER warrant returns only one ride at that exact time and place. The client information led to the Osundairo brothers. At that point, in a few minutes, detectives would have found his social media and his obvious connection to the Empire show. BINGO.

CHAPTER 2: The Police Report

With the benefit of hindsight, it’s hard to imagine a different outcome than Smollett getting caught with his shallow, amateur plot. What could you be thinking, Jussie? I noticed that your address on the file was unredacted.

…so I used Google’s tools to take a look at your FANCY building.

Look at the rooftop pool: this gave me the first clue. It’s hard to get to the top, in entertainment, but to STAY at the top is much harder.

Here we have you saying your Mom is your great reference – and how she put honesty and honor above all. SAD.

To go from that moral compass to the point where the Chicago mayor has to call out the sham you were involved in – with Cook County’s State Attorney Kim Foxx – trying to save your neck.

He calls it a “whitewash of justice”.

SAD.

To be called out publicly on your crimes by the President himself. SAD. You brought it all on yourself.

We will now follow, for reference, the later police reports issued by Chicago police, that attempts to sum up the whole investigation. The report was written by Detectives Michael Theis and Michael Vogenthaler, from the Area Central Detective Division.

Here you are introduced to the three main characters, their relationship and the previous incidents with Smollett – a hate letter and a hate phone call.

It becomes clear, here, that Abimbola Osundairo (aka Bola, aka Abel) was supplying drugs to Smollett, and partying with him.

Smollett asked Abel to help him with his fitness training for a video shoot. Later, he asked Abel for help on another matter:

Here’s the text of Smollett asking for Abel’s help.

While many people have posted the drug texts between Abel and Smollett, I’ve seen nobody bring this incredibly open sexual overture from the star to his “friend”.  Abel was able to pass on the “invitation”.

But in this text – between the other Nigerian brother, Olabinjo (aka Ola), and another person I could not unveil – we find that Smollett and the “Agency” were always trying to sneak [using their own words] some “gay shit” on them, “like niggas is stupid”.

***                                                                                                                                                                                                          With a With a special prosecutor looking into the mysterious dropping of the case against him and with Smollett now adamantly claiming his original story of being attacked by Trump supporters is 100 percent true – it seems we shall soon find out more about Jusse Smollett and the truth of his assertions.

Is he a victim of a hate crime – or did he make the whole thing up – and somehow for whatever reason – someone pulled strings to cover up his hoax – which may be a crime in itself.

Stay Tuned.