You already know that Jussie Smollett paid the two Nigerian brothers from Chicago to stage the assault on him.

But now we’re learning what else Smollett may have paid them to do AND why he may have paid for the hoax attack.

From CBS Chicago:

Empire” actor Jussie Smollett, upset after a racist letter sent to the show’s studio didn’t get a “bigger reaction,” is suspected of paying two men to attack him a week later, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the investigation. “When the letter didn’t get enough attention, he concocted the staged attack,” a source told CBS 2 Investigator Brad Edwards. Other sources corroborated that information.

This is what the letter’s looked like:







Here’s where it gets interesting…

Smollett received a letter containing a white powder Jan. 22. The letter was mailed to Chicago’s Cinespace Studios, where the show “Empire” is filmed. The letter prompted a HAZMAT response. CPD says the “white substance” was later determined to be aspirin. The note was crafted with letters apparently cut out from magazines to form words. The pieced-together message contained racial and homophobic threats directed at Smollett. A magazine is one of the pieces of evidence retrieved from the brother’s home last week during a search conducted by CPD. Investigators also recovered a book of stamps.

During the search of the brothers’ home last week, a “piece of paper/writing” was also seized. CBS 2 is the only news source with video from inside that house. Police evidence logs exclusively obtained by CBS 2, show investigators took the writing sample, magazine, and a “wallet with stamps.” Chicago police say the FBI is handling the investigation surrounding the letter, because that’s a federal-level concern.

Now it looks like the same two brothers paid to stage the attack may have also been paid to send the threatening letters in the first place!

And note the last paragraph says the FBI is handling the letter investigation. If they interviewed Smollett and he lied to them about it….

Here’s the last bit of new info:

Sources say at least one of the brothers bought the rope used in the incident at Smollett’s request. The sources also say the “Empire” actor paid for the rope, which was purchased at the Crafty Beaver Hardware Store in the Ravenswood neighborhood the weekend of Jan. 25. Sources said one of the brothers held the rope and poured bleach while the other wore a plain red hat and yelled slurs at Smollett. The sources say the red hat was bought at an Uptown beauty supply store and that the attack was supposed to happen before Jan. 29. The brothers told detectives the three men rehearsed the attack days prior to it happening. Smollett paid the brothers $3,500.

Smollett is in so much hot water and it keeps rising.

I read this morning that his lawyer told police that Smollett didn’t want to be interviewed by them again. Yeah, I bet. But you know, I doubt it’s gonna be optional for much longer.

The Nigerian brothers issued a short statement to CBS Chicago:

De Mar spoke on the phone exclusively with the Osundairo brothers Monday afternoon. In a joint statement, they said: “We are not racist. We are not homophobic, and we are not anti-Trump. We were born and raised in Chicago and are American citizens.”

Stay tuned!