Smollett lawyer suggests star witness sought money, fame

Defense attorney Shay Allen asked Abimbola Osundairo if he sold him drugs and about guns found in Osundairo’s home when police searched it. Osundairo said he got drugs for Smollett when the actor asked him to but added “I’m not a drug dealer, I don’t sell.”

Jussie Smollett’s legal team suggested Thursday that a star state witness who testified that the former “Empire” actor recruited him and his brother to stage a fake attack isn’t credible and that he was trying to further his career and make money off his relationship with the actor.

Defense attorney Shay Allen asked Abimbola Osundairo if he sold him drugs and about guns found in Osundairo’s home when police searched it. Osundairo said he got drugs for Smollett when the actor asked him to but added “I’m not a drug dealer, I don’t sell.”

Allen also questioned the motivation behind Osundairo’s interactions with Smollett, suggesting they were dating, that Smollett wanted Osundairo to get him supplements that are illegal in the U.S., and that the aspiring actor — who worked as a stand-in on “Empire” — wanted a high-paid job as Smollett’s security.

Allen also suggested Smollett wasn’t involved in plotting the alleged attack, and that the brothers acted on their own.

Smollett, 39, is charged with six counts of felony disorderly conduct for making what prosecutors say was a false police report about the alleged attack — one count for each time he gave a report — to three different officers. The class 4 felony carries a prison sentence of up to three years, but experts have said if Smollett is convicted he likely would be placed on probation and ordered to perform community service.

Smollett’s legal team needs to cast doubt on Osundairo’s damaging testimony from Wednesday, but it isn’t an easy task. Osundairo stuck with his story Thursday, while denying a sexual relationship with Smollett and that he asked the actor to hire him. And much of what Osundairo told jurors about the Jan. 29, 2019, event appears to be corroborated by video and other evidence.

Osundairo testified that Smollett instructed him and his brother on how to carry out the staged attack. Smollett also planned a “dry run” and gave him a $100 bill to buy supplies, Osundairo said.

Source: Smollett lawyer suggests star witness sought money, fame