Closing arguments began Wednesday morning (Dec. 8) for Jussie Smollett’s “hoax” trial.

Attorney Nenye Uche, who represents the former “Empire” actor, told jurors that the prosecution’s case was punctured with “doubts” and created on the testimony of the Osundairo brothers, who he referred to as “certified liars.”

“The entire prosecution case was built like a house of cards,” Uche told the jury. “And we all know what happens to a house of cards when you apply a little pressure. It crumbles.”

Uche also told the jury that they can’t believe what the brothers said about Smollett hiring them to carry out the alleged hate crime. “You have to have your guard up with them mentally, emotionally, even spiritually,” Uche said. “They are highly intelligent, really smart, and they know how to dumb it down so you think they’re victims.”

As REVOLT previously reported, Smollett pleaded not guilty to six counts of disorderly conduct on suspicion of making false reports to the police. If convicted, he could face up to three years in prison.

Back in 2019, Smollett, who is Black and gay, alleged that he was assaulted by two men who beat him, doused him in bleach, placed a noose around his neck and yelled racist and homophobic slurs at him. He also claimed that the men yelled, “This is MAGA country.”

Activists, celebrities and politicians rallied around the actor as everyone believed that he was a victim of a hate crime. However, as the investigation into the attack continued, authorities questioned Smollett’s role in everything.

Earlier this month, Abimbola and his brother Olabinjo Osundairo testified that Smollett paid them $3,500 to carry out the attack in order for him to gain publicity and boost his career. Abimbola told jurors they agreed to help him stage the hoax because he felt “indebted” to his “close friend.”