CHICAGO _ One of two Chicago brothers at the center of the high-profile alleged hate crime hoax involving "Empire" star Jussie Smollett is competing in an annual boxing tournament in suburban Chicago.
Abimbola "Abel" Osundairo participated in and won a semifinal bout Thursday evening at the 2019 Chicago Golden Gloves Tournament at Cicero Stadium in the west suburb.
The tourney is one of the first public appearances for either of the bodybuilding brothers since they were linked to what Chicago police and prosecutors called a staged attack organized by Smollett to gain national attention.
Smollett recently pleaded not guilty to 16 counts of disorderly conduct for allegedly staging a phony attack where he claimed two men beat him and yelled racial and homophobic slurs in late January.
Prosecutors said Smollett, 36, who is African-American and openly gay, paid Abel Osundairo and his older brother, Olabinjo, $3,500 to stage the attack, with a promise of an additional $500 later.
Police initially took the brothers into custody but released them nearly two days later without charges when they pointed responsibility to Smollett.
Later, the brothers testified before a grand jury ahead of charges being filed against Smollett.
Osundairo's attorney, Gloria Schmidt, couldn't be reached for comment.
