The alleged assault case against “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett is headed to a grand jury early this week, according to a report.
TMZ reported that the grand jury will convene beginning this week, citing law enforcement sources.
It’s not clear what type of case will go before the grand jury. According to reports over the weekend, the two Nigerian brothers who were arrested late last week were released after revealing to detectives that Smollett paid them to stage the attack, which the actor then blamed on white President Donald Trump supporters.
According to TMZ, the brothers are staying somewhere in downtown Chicago under the eye of police officers “so no one gets to them.”
“We’re told cops especially want to make sure Jussie does not contact the brothers,” the entertainment outlet claimed.
Mounting evidence appears to suggest that Smollett’s attack didn’t happen as he described.
Initially, the actor said two men wearing ski masks approached him on Jan. 29 around 2 a.m. in freezing temperatures and hurled slurs at him while tying a rope around his neck and pouring bleach on him. He claimed the men said that “this is MAGA” country, apparently in reference to Trump’s slogan “Make America Great Again.”
But law enforcement sources told CBS and Fox that the Nigerian brothers told them Smollett planned the attack and that it was fake. The trio even rehearsed the attack several days before Jan. 29 and Smollett gave the brothers money to buy the rope from one store and a red hat from another, according to the broadcasters.
Law enforcement sources told TMZ that the story was suspect from the beginning, especially the part about the assailants recognizing Smollett from “Empire.”
“Not a single Trump supporter watches ‘Empire,'” a source told TMZ.
The Chicago Police Department said in a statement obtained by Rafer Weigel, a Fox Chicago reporter, that “it’s certainly possible” that the case will go to a grand jury but that “it’s way too premature” to make that determination.
A police spokesman told Fox News on Sunday, “We have some information that needs to be corroborated and verified with Mr. Jussie Smollett before I can answer this question.”
In another statement, police confirmed information from the brothers “shifted the trajectory of the investigation.”
“We’ve reached out to the Empire cast member’s attorney to request a follow-up interview,” spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.
A spokesman added to Weigel that the grand jury could be a last resort if Smollett doesn’t voluntarily go in for questioning and noted the actor’s lawyers have given no indication to the police that he was planning on going in for questioning.
Statement from #Smollett crisis team: “There are no plans for #JussieSmollett to meet w/ Chicago police 2day. Any news reports suggesting otherwise are inaccurate. Smollett’s attorneys will keep an active dialogue going w/ Chicago police on his behalf. We have no further comment”
— Rafer Weigel (@RaferWeigel) February 18, 2019
Smollett has maintained his innocence. His attorneys issued a statement on Saturday saying the actor would cooperate with police but said he was hurt by reports he may have been involved in staging the alleged attack.
“Nothing is further from the truth and anyone claiming otherwise is lying,” the statement said.
In an update on Monday, Smollett’s team said: “There are no plans for Jussie Smollett to meet with Chicago police today. Any news reports suggesting otherwise are inaccurate. Smollett’s attorneys will keep an active dialogue going with Chicago police on his behalf. We have no further comment.”
