Actor Jussie Smollett reportedly told police officers that he has a drug problem after surrendering on Feb. 21 on the charge of filing a false police report.
Abel and Ola Osundairo were identified as the brothers who Smollett allegedly hired, paying $3,500 to them for the fake attack.
![Abel Osundairo, left, and his brother Ola Osundairo, in a file photo. The Nigerian brothers were arrested in connection with the alleged attack on "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett but were released after reportedly telling detectives Smollett paid them to stage the attack. (Team Abel/Instagram)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2019%2F02%2F23%2FNigerian-brothers-615x346.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
Text messages obtained by detectives showed that Abel “was a source of designer drugs” for Smollett, prosecutors said.
“Specifically, since the spring of 2018, on several occasions, Defendant Smollett requested Abel to provide him with ‘Molly,’ which is a street name for the narcotic Ecstasy,” they stated.
According to TMZ, Smollett’s alleged untreated drug problems could be a mitigating factor if he’s convicted.
Smollett’s Character Removed From ‘Empire’ Episodes
Smollett’s character will be removed from multiple episodes of “Empire,” executive producers said on Feb. 22.Twentieth Century Fox Television said in a new statement.
Smollett plays the character of Jamal Lyons on the show.
![Jussie Smollett (second from left) appears in an episode of "Empire" with (from left to right) Bryshere Gray, Taraji Henson, and Terrence Howard. (Chuck Hodes/FOX via AP)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2019%2F02%2F23%2Fjussie-smollett-5-615x426.jpeg&w=1200&q=75)
“We are also aware of the effects of this process on the cast and crew members who work on our show and to avoid further disruption on set, we have decided to remove the role of ‘Jamal’ from the final two episodes of the season,” they added.
Twentieth Century Fox said in a previous statement after Smollett was arrested and charged with filing a false police report on Feb. 21, that executives were “evaluating the situation and considering our options.”
“We understand the seriousness of this matter and we respect the legal process. We are evaluating the situation and we are considering our options,” the company added.
![This Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019 photo shows an apartment that was searched by police in connection with an investigation of an alleged attack on actor Jussie Smollett in Chicago. (Nader Issa/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2019%2F02%2F23%2Fapartment-searched-in-smollett-case-615x461.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
In a press briefing, Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson told reporters that Smollett’s motivation was frustration with his pay.
“This stunt was orchestrated by Smollett because he was dissatisfied with his salary,” he said. “Smollett took advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career.”
Smollett has not spoken publicly since the brothers were interviewed by police but has maintained his innocence through his legal team.