by Thinus Ferreira
American media reported late on Thursday night that the disgraced American actor Jussie Smollett (39) had been found guilty of a hate crime hoax.
In January 2019 Jussie Smollett ended up in hospital after he perpetrated a hoax - that he has now been found guilty of - staging a brutal attack and alleged hate crime in Chicago that was made to look like it was a racial, homophobic altercation in which he was punched, drenched in chemicals and had a rope tied around his neck.
Then Chicago police then announced that it found evidence that Jussie Smollett paid two former brothers and suspects, Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo from Nigeria to stage the attack on him, with one of the brothers who had made an on-screen appearance on Empire on The Walt Disney Company's FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 131) TV channel during the show's second season.
Chicago police said Jussie Smollett allegedly paid the extras $3 500 to stage the attack on him with Ola who played a prison inmate during the second season of Empire, while Abel (the other brother's nickname) who revealed that he had also worked on Empire.
On Thursday an American court jury found Jussie Smollett guilty of perpetrating a hate crime hoax and he was convicted on 5 counts of lying to the police about the hoax. He was acquitted on a sixth charge.
Both the brothers testified at the trial and told the jury that Jussie Smollett took them "on a dry run" to work out exactly what he wanted them to do, gave them money to buy supplies and told them exactly how to hit him "but not too hard".
Jussie Smollett told the court how he met Abel, did drugs, including cocaine and marijuana and would masturbate together.
Jussie Smollett was found guilty of telling a police officer that he was a victim of a hate crime, was found guilty of telling a police officer he was a victim of battery, was found guilty of telling a police detective that he was a victim of a hate crime, was found guilty of telling a police detective that he was a victim of battery, and was found guilty of telling a detective again that he was a victim of battery.
