Jussie Smollett: Police Put Osundairo Brothers In Hotel During Investigation

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Actor Jussie Smollett after his court appearance at Leighton Courthouse on March 26, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. This morning in court it was announced that all charges were dropped against the actor.

It sounds like the Osundairo Brothers were placed in a temporary witness protection program.

Investigators in Jussie Smollett's case were already prepared for the "media frenzy" that would follow the two brothers who claimed the actor paid them to stage his attack. In documents obtained by ABC7, Chicago PD put the Osundairo brothers in a hotel right before they were supposed to testify against a grand jury.

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One of the investigators on Jussie Smollett's case suggested that Ola and Abel Osundairo should be put up in a hotel during the investigation in order to avoid reporters and journalists that would be trying to track them down. In the documents, their names are redacted except for one time.

Chicago PD made plans to pick up the brothers behind their home to avoid being spotted by the public. The police allowed them to meet with their family before they took them to the hotel where they were reported under “24 hour surveillance and security was provided by Chicago Police OCD.”

The brothers were taken to the Chicago South Loop Hotel from Feb. 15th - 21st and were provided with “food and incidentals.” The brothers were actually arrested on the 15th, according to reports, but were released the following day after police started suspecting Smollett staged the attack. 

In related news, the brothers lost their legal representation, Gloria Schmidt, after they decided to maintain their silence on the Smollett case after the actor's charges were dropped. 

[Via]


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.