Chicago Police release documents from Jussie Smollett investigation

FAN Editor

Authorities in Chicago have released the police files relating to the investigation of “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett.

The documents indicate that police concluded Smollett, who was charged with felony disorderly conduct for filing a false police report with police, was purchasing drugs around the time frame of the investigation. A search of Smollett’s phone turned up text messages in which Smollett allegedly requested someone to procure marijuana, cocaine and ecstasy for him, which were to be paid for via Venmo with the description of “training,” according to the police documents.

That discovery helped police understand that Smollett, on “multiple occasions,” would “describe payments for illicit activity as payments for legitimate expenses,” the files state.

The Venmo payment is how police learned the $3,500 check to one of the brothers who participated in the scam, which was labeled as payment for a nutrition plan and training, was really an alleged payoff for the staged attack, according to police documents.

ABC News’ could not immediately reach Smollett or his attorneys for comment.

Police say Smollett fabricated a street attack on himself in January in which he told authorities that he was attacked by two men who shouted homophobic slurs at him, wrapped a noose around his neck and poured an unknown liquid on him, authorities said. He also said that a week prior he had received a threatening letter in the mail that contained racist and homophobic slurs.

Details from Smollett’s interview with police in the emergency room after the supposed attack occurred state that he did not want to notify authorities at first but that someone encouraged him to. He then told police that his attackers were white men wearing black ski masks.

Police later determined that Smollett paid two brothers, Ola and Abel Osundario, to help him stage the attack. They were identified by “video and Uber credit card record,” and they claimed to be fasting at the time of their arrest in February, their arrest records show.

The 460 pages of records were released a week after a Cook County judge ordered officials to unseal the investigative and prosecution records in the probe. At least one additional document is expected to be released in the coming weeks, officials told ABC News.

In March, Cook County prosecutors dropped all charges against Smollett, despite acknowledging that investigators believed he fabricated the incident, in favor of an alternative resolution that involved him performing community service and forfeiting the remainder of his $10,000 bond to Cook County.

Smollett maintained his innocence after the charges were dropped. Fox stated last month that it had “no plans” to bring him back to the cast after it renewed “Empire” for a sixth season.

The City of Chicago later sued Smollett for $130,000 for the cost of the investigation.

ABC News’ Aaron Katersky, Andy Fies, Dylan Goetz, Chuck Goudie, Kate Holland, Jinsol Jung, Josh Margolin, Lara Moehlman, Alex Perez and Stephanie Wash contributed to this report.

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