Brothers in Jussie Smollett Case Express 'Tremendous Regret'

The two brothers who allegedly helped Empire actor Jussie Smollett coordinate the reported hate-incident in Chicago earlier this year say they now have "tremendous regret" about how this incident impacts victims of bias-motivated crimes.

Abimbola "Abel" and Olbinjo "Ola" Osundairo released a statement late Thursday through their attorney Gloria Schmidt as the case now heads to court in a couple weeks.

"My clients have tremendous regret over their involvement in this situation, and they understand how it has impacted people across the nation, particularly minority communities and especially those who have been victims of hate crimes themselves," the statement continues.

Their statement comes as public opinion towards the Smollett case continues to sway from support of the actor to criticism and rejection. Before the brothers were arrested and released after producing evidence that changed the "trajectory" of the investigation, the alleged attack of Smollett became a focal point for outrage conntected to identity-based violence.

However, as more evidence is released and police continue to strongly state that Smollett is guilty of coordinating a "fake" hate crime, national anti-violence groups have come out to highlight the realities of hate crimes in the United States.

"The clients that walk into our offices every day are surviving a culture of violence against LGBTQ people, especially people of color and those of trans experience," Eliel Cruz, head of communications of the New York City Anti-Violence project, recently told The Advocate. The organization helps track LGBTQ-based violence, and have reported historic levels of incidents in the recent year.

"It's unfortunate if anyone, especially someone with this large of a platform, would falsify any parts of a story of hate violence," Cruz continued. "Still, the reality is that far too many survivors aren't believed and don't get justice for the violence they experience.

And the brothers' latest statement seems to lend support to this work and shows some effort on their part to not let their alleged action deter from an under-reported issue.

(RELATED: A Timeline of the Jussie Smollett Case)

The two brothers became the primary suspects in the Smollett case after surveillance footage was released by Chicago police showing two men leaving the scene of the alleged attack.

Chicago police accused Smollett in a press conference last month of staging the entire incident due to salary issues on his television show, Empire, and misleading their department. Police superintendent Eddie Johnson focused in on the $3,500 check as primary evidence to Smollett filing a false report and staging his own hate crime.

Johnson took to Good Morning America and defended the department's case just days after the press conference, telling Robin Roberts that the brothers told police during interrogations that this specific check was given to them for the attack.

"I was very acutely aware of the situation in terms of the Chicago Police Department declaring he was a suspect. But I can tell you this, Robin, there's a lot more evidence that hasn't been presented yet that does not support the version that he gave us," Johnson told Roberts. "There's still a lot of physical evidence, video evidence, and testimony that just simply doesn't support his version of what happened."

The official didn't expand on what that evidence is, and when the department was asked in follow-up questions by The Advocate if the brothers have told police that the personal training was being used as a cover-up for plotting the incident, the department refused to elaborate.

"Any comments at this point must come from prosecutors, however we stand firmly behind this investigation that is predicated exclusively on sworn testimony and video recorded interviews that are supported by physical evidence, including text messages and official records," spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi told The Advocate. "Like any and all defendants, Mr. Smollett has the presumption of innocence and this matter will be decided by a criminal court."

Smollett's camp was not able to provide comment on whether the actor intentionally misrepresented the check in order to hide payments related to staging the incident. But after last week's press conference, lawyers representing the actor maintained their defense by lashing out at the Chicago police who they say have created a "spectacle."

"Today we witnessed an organized law enforcement spectacle that has no place in the American legal system," attorneys Todd Pugh and Victor Henderson said after the press conference. "The presumption of innocence, a bedrock in the search for justice, was trampled upon at the expense of Mr. Smollett and notably, on the eve of a mayoral election.

"Mr. Smollett is a young man of impeccable character and integrity who fiercely and solemnly maintains his innocence betrayed by a system that apparently wants to skip due process and proceed directly to sentencing," they continued.

As the actor awaits his next court date on March 14, all of Smollett's projects planned prior to the incident -- including the release of a new album -- have been paused, along with the actor being written out of Empire's final episodes.