In what will likely be a pivotal moment in the Jussie Smollett trial, Abimbola Osundairo took the stand to describe to the jury how he helped the former “Empire” actor stage a hate crime hoax early in 2019. Abimbola Osundairo explained that he participated in the fake farce to help Osundairo’s career.
The New York Post reported:
Abimbola Osundairo, 28, told jurors in Chicago’s criminal court on day three of the trial how Smollett directed nearly every aspect of the alleged fake attack, from the racial and homophobic slurs he and his brother, Olabinjo, were to use down to who should throw the punches.
“He explained that he wanted me to fake beat him up,” Osundairo testified.
Osundairo stated that he agreed to help Smollet because he “felt indebted to him” and because “[Smollett]Also got [Osundairo] a stand-in role on ‘Empire’ and I also believed that he could help further my acting career.”
You can read more about it at the Post
Osundairo and his brother are at the center of the sensational long-awaited trial as the prosecution’s star witnesses. Two weeks after Smollett claimed he had been the victim of hate crimes on January 19, 2019, his brother and sister were taken into custody. They confessed that the actor had paid the brothers $3,500 for them to carry out the attack. Smollett’s team vigorously denies the allegation and claims the men intended to attack him, potentially because they’re homophobic.
He has been accused of six counts for felony disorderly conduct, lying to law enforcement. A conviction could land him up to 3 years imprisonment.
Osundairo recounted how he met Smollett through a mutual friend in 2017 and how they “became extremely close as they spent time together smoking weed, visiting strip clubs and having sleepovers at the star’s Streeterville high-rise,” according to the Post.
“I would call him my brother,” Osundairo said.
The young man testified that Smollett’s alleged plot began to take shape after he received a text message from the actor asking for his assistance “on the low” and suggesting they meet in person to discuss the matter.
Osundairo said Smollett picked him up later in the afternoon and asked if he “could trust” him. He complained about Fox’s lackluster reaction to a piece of hate mail he allegedly received which showed a stick figure hanging and the words “[y]ou will die black f*g.”
“He talked about how the studio was not taking the mail seriously, the hate mail he’d received earlier,” Osundairo recalled. “I was confused, I looked puzzled and then he explained that he wanted me to fake beat him up.”
The actor also asked if Osundairo’s brother would be willing to help carry out the scheme. “He first told the brothers the specific words he wanted them to use — ‘Empire’, f—-t, n—-r, MAGA’ — and then gave blow-by-blow instructions,” according to the Post.
“He wanted me to punch him but he wanted me to pull the punch so I didn’t hurt him and then he wanted me to tussle him and throw him to the ground and give him a bruise,” Osundairo recounted.
He continued:
“Then he wanted it to look like he was fighting back, so I was supposed to give him a chance to fight back and then eventually throw him to the ground and my brother would tie the noose around his neck and pour bleach on him.”
Smollett took the Osundairo brothers to his home to demonstrate where the hoax would take place the day prior to the event. “He said that there was going to be a camera to capture the fake attack, that he wanted a camera to capture the fake attack,” Osundairo told the jury.
When special prosecutor Dan Webb asked why Smollett wanted there to be video footage of the hoax, Osundairo said the actor “wanted to use the camera footage for media.”
The Post reported:
The camera Smollett had hoped to capture the attack, but it was pointed in the wrong direction. However, everything went as planned. Smollett was taken into custody by his brothers.
The Associated PressThe alleged plan was described in more detail:
Osundairo told jurors Smollett instructed him to punch Smollett but “not too hard.” Once Smollett was on the ground, Osundairo said Smollett said he should give Smollett “a bruise” and “give him a noogie” — or rub his knuckles hard on Smollett’s head.
When the brothers saw Smollett around 2 a.m., they did as the actor instructed and yelled homophobic slurs and shouted “this is MAGA country!” as they carried out the fake assault.
This testimony is likely to be the clincher for the prosecution. Defense argues that Smollett was the object of a vendetta by the Osundairo brothers, who disguised themselves to be MAGA supporters in order not to be detected after assaulting the actor.
It will be difficult for a jury to believe that Smollett paid $3,500 to his brothers just before the attack. But the trial isn’t over yet, so perhaps anything can happen.
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