Empire actor Jussie Smollett staged his own racist and homophobic attack because he was dissatisfied with his salary, police say.
The 36-year-old, who came out as gay in 2015, is accused of making a false report to officers about an apparent assault against him in Chicago late last month.
He told police the attackers tied a noose around his neck and poured a chemical substance over him.
He said they shouted racist and homophobic slurs and also shouted "this is MAGA country" – in an apparent reference to US President Donald Trump's campaign slogan "Make America Great Again."
Smollett also sent a racist and homophobic threatening letter to the Fox studio where he works in the city before the attack, Superintendent Eddie Johnson said.
Jessie Smollett attends the Heroes in The Struggle Gala for the Black AIDS Insitute 2018 at The California African-American Museum in December 2018 | Image: Scott Kirkland/Fox/PictureGroup/Sipa USAThe actor, who plays Jamal Lyon in the TV drama, claimed he was targeted by two masked men as he walked home from a sandwich shop.
Following three weeks of mounting suspicions, Smollett was charged on Wednesday with felony disorder conduct and handed himself in earlier on Thursday.
Felony criminal charges have been approved by @CookCountySAO against Jussie Smollett for Disorderly Conduct / Filing a False Police Report. Detectives will make contact with his legal team to negotiate a reasonable surrender for his arrest. pic.twitter.com/LvBSYE2kVj
— Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) February 21, 2019
If convicted, the actor could face three years in prison and be forced to pay for the investigation into the alleged beating on January 29th.
His lawyers have said they will mount an "aggressive defence" against allegations he faked the attack.
Two brothers, who are bodybuilders and aspiring actors, have claimed they were paid to stage an attack on Smollett.
An apartment that was searched by police in connection with an investigation of an alleged attack on Empire actor Jussie Smollett in Chicago | Image: Nader Issa/Chicago Sun-Times via APAbimbola "Abel" and Olabinjo "Ola" Osundairo, who were earlier deemed suspects, have now testified before a grand jury.
One of the men had appeared in Empire, police said, and one of them was Smollett's personal trainer, who had helped the actor as he prepared to appear in a music video.
Speaking outside court, the brothers’ lawyer called on Mr Smusset to go public with the full story.
“I think that Jussies’ conscience is probably not letting him sleep right now so I think he should unload that conscience and just come out tell the American people what actually happened,” she said.
She said her clients did not care about a plea deal or immunity.
Detectives were unable to find CCTV footage of the alleged attack.
But police said they "have the cheque" they allege Smollett used to pay the two brothers.
"We have the check" Jussie Smollett "used to pay" two brothers allegedly involved in what Chicago police call a staged attack. Police accuse Smollett of orchestrating the attack. https://t.co/5AiMcfe6iH pic.twitter.com/jXmre2XADw
— ABC News (@ABC) February 21, 2019
During a tearful appearance on Good Morning America, Smusset claimed he had been "forever changed" by the incident.
Fox Entertainment and 20th Century Fox Television issued a statement on Thursday that they were "evaluating the situation".
"We understand the seriousness of this matter and we respect the legal process. We are evaluating the situation and we are considering our options,” the statement read.
This followed on from another statement on Wednesday, in which Fox said Smollett "continues to be a consummate professional on set" and that his character was not being written off the show.
The studio's statement followed reports that his role was being slashed amid the police investigation.
Additional reporting: IRN
