Jussie Smollett: Brothers Express "Tremendous Regret" Over Role In Alleged Hoax | THR News - video Dailymotion

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The two brothers who went from suspects to cooperating witnesses in the Jussie Smollett case have expressed "tremendous regret" over their role in the alleged hoax.

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00:00Brothers Abel and Ola Osandairo have expressed tremendous regret for their roles in the

00:04alleged fake hate crime committed against Empire actor Jussie Smollett. The Osandairo's

00:09went from suspects to cooperating witnesses in the case, claiming that Smollett paid them

00:13$3,500 via a check to stage the alleged assault that the actor reported to the Chicago

00:17police on Jan. 29. Chicago law enforcement said the brothers, who are acquaintances of

00:22Smollett, confessed to the entirety of the alleged plot during a 47-hour interview with

00:26the two men when they were in custody. According to the attorney for the brothers,

00:30my clients have tremendous regret over their involvement in the situation and they

00:34understand how it has impacted people across the nation, particularly minority communities

00:38and especially those who have been victims of hate crimes themselves.

00:41Chicago police arrested Smollett and charged him with felony disorderly conduct for filing

00:46a false police report upon concluding that he had orchestrated the entire assault,

00:50allegedly due to dissatisfaction over his salary on Empire. Falsifying a police report is a

00:55class 4 felony which carries a potential prison sentence of one to three years.

00:59Chicago police superintendent Eddie Johnson has condemned Smollett's alleged actions in

01:03public appearances and interviews and the Osandairo brothers' statement has echoed his

01:06concerns that future victims of hate crimes will be treated with skepticism.

01:10When he first reported the incident, Smollett told police that his attackers yelled

01:13pro-Make America Great Again comments, along with racist and homophobic slurs before

01:18and during the beating. According to the police report, a chemical substance was poured on

01:22Smollett's face and a rope was placed around his neck, a choice of symbolism that

01:26Superintendent Johnson found particularly troublesome due to its association with lynching.

01:30The Osandairo brothers, who were American-born and of Nigerian descent, were brought

01:34in by police as persons of interest from video footage, despite Smollett claiming that his

01:38attackers were white. Once their identities were made public after their arrest, Abel and

01:42Ola made a brief statement to a Chicago news station saying,

01:45We are not racist, we are not homophobic and we are not anti-Trump. We were born and raised

01:50in Chicago and are American citizens.

01:52Meanwhile, Smollett has maintained his innocence and, via his lawyer, has vowed to

01:56mount an aggressive defense. He is due back in court in March.

02:00To read more on this story, head to THR.com.

02:02For The Hoyt Reporter News, I'm Lyndsey Rodrigues.

Jussie Smollett: Brothers Express "Tremendous Regret" Over Role In Alleged Hoax | THR News

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