At its peak, 26 officers and detectives were tied up in the Jussie Smollett case. And over 3,000 man-hours were worked by the force.
The investigation led to the Osundairos, two Nigerian brothers. They also worked on the set of “Empire” as runners. And were friends with Jussie. The Osundairos told police that he paid them to stage a fake attack.
Smollett was set to be formally indicted for the alleged hoax. But Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx quietly dropped those charges. The fallout led to the appointment of a special prosecutor.
It was special prosecutor Webb who brought the new indictments against Smollett in February 2020. And then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. This created unexpected delays in the trial.
The man in the noose
Smollett claimed he was walking home from a Subway restaurant. Two men wearing ski masks appeared. The men allegedly attacked him while screaming racial and homophobic slurs.
Smollett said one of his attackers appeared to be white.
He claimed his assailants said “This is MAGA country,” which was then-President Donald Trump’s slogan. They supposedly poured bleach on him and put a noose around his neck.
