Actor Jussie Smollett paid two men to beat him in a staged racist and homophobic attack because he was dissatisfied with his salary and wanted to further his career, according to Chicago police. Key points: Jussie Smollett told police masked men beat him and shouted slurs Jussie Smollett told police masked men beat him and shouted slurs But he was charged on Wednesday with filing a false police report But he was charged on Wednesday with filing a false police report Smollett turned himself in and is due to appear in court today Smollett, a 36-year-old black, openly gay actor on the hip-hop TV drama Empire, ignited a firestorm on social media by telling police that two apparent supporters of US President Donald Trump had struck him, put a noose around his neck and poured bleach over him. Chicago police released a statement on Twitter on Thursday, announcing Smollett was under arrest and in custody of detectives. Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesman for the Chicago Police Department, said Smollett had been arrested after turning himself in. Smollett has been charged with disorderly conduct and filing a false police report. Loading Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said Smollett paid two brothers $US3,500 to stage the supposed hate crime. "Smollett took advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career," Mr Johnson told a news conference. "This stunt was orchestrated by Smollett because he was dissatisfied with his salary. He concocted a story about being attacked. We gave him the benefit of the doubt." 20th Century Fox Television, which airs "Empire," said in a statement on Thursday: "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 charges could bring up to three years in prison. It could also force the actor to pay for the cost of the investigation into his report of a January 29 beating as he walked home from a sandwich shop. In a statement, attorneys Todd Pugh and Victor Henderson said Smollett "enjoys the presumption of innocence, particularly when there has been an investigation like this one where information, both true and false, has been repeatedly leaked". Smollett had said the masked men beat him, made derogatory comments and yelled "This is MAGA country" — an apparent reference to President Donald Trump's campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again" — before fleeing. The whispers about Smollett started with reports that he had not fully cooperated with police after telling authorities he was attacked. Then detectives in a city bristling with surveillance cameras could not find video of the beating. Later, two brothers, who were identified by their attorney as Abimbola "Abel" and Olabinjo "Ola" Osundairo, were taken into custody for questioning but were released after two days, with police saying they were no longer suspects. Following three weeks of mounting suspicions, Smollett was charged on Wednesday with making a false police report. Loading The felony disorderly conduct charge emerged on the same day detectives and the two brothers testified before a grand jury. Police said one of the men had appeared on "Empire," and Smollett's attorneys said one of the men was the actor's personal trainer, whom he hired to help get him physically ready for a music video. Speaking outside the courthouse where the grand jury met, the brothers' attorney said the two men testified for about two-and-a-half hours. "There was a point where this story needed to be told, and they manned up and they said we're going to correct this," Gloria Schmidt said. She said her clients did not care about a plea deal or immunity. "You don't need immunity when you have the truth," she said. She also said her clients received money from Smollett, but she did not elaborate. US President Donald Trump initially called the alleged attack "horrible" but took to Twitter to condemn Smollett's "racist and dangerous comments". Loading Smollett has a record — one that concerns giving false information to police when he was pulled over on suspicion of driving under the influence. According to records, he was also charged with false impersonation and driving without a licence. He later pleaded no contest to a reduced charge and took an alcohol education and treatment program. AP<doc-sep>US police have arrested a TV actor charged with lying to authorities about being the victim of a racist and homophobic attack on the streets of Chicago. Jussie Smollett, a gay and black actor who stars in the Fox network drama "Empire," is facing felony criminal charges of disorderly conduct and filing a false police report. Chicago police said on Twitter Thursday morning that Smollett has now been taken into custody. He claimed that on January 29, two masked men beat him late at night in downtown Chicago while yelling racist and homophobic slurs. He also initially told police that the attackers poured bleach on him and tied a rope around his neck. The alleged incident initially seemed to serve as an example of growing intolerance in the US and led to an outpouring of support for the actor. But over the following weeks, the 36-year-old went from victim to suspect. "Felony criminal charges have been approved by Cook County State´s Attorney´s Office against Jussie Smollett for Disorderly Conduct / Filing a False Police Report," Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement late Wednesday. Smollett´s attorneys promised to conduct their own investigation and mount "an aggressive defense." "Like any other citizen, Mr Smollett enjoys the presumption of innocence, particularly when there has been an investigation like this one where information, both true and false, has been repeatedly leaked," attorneys Todd Pugh and Victor Henderson said in a statement. The actor reported to police that his alleged assailants yelled "This is MAGA country" -- a reference to US President Donald Trump´s "Make America Great Again" slogan. But detectives grew suspicious of the account after interrogating two men who reportedly revealed that they were hired to stage the incident. Chicago TV station WBBM said the men, brothers Ola and Abel Osundairo, claimed Smollett was unhappy that a threatening letter he had earlier received at the Chicago studios where "Empire" is filmed had not received enough attention.<doc-sep>Tom Gianni Jussie Smollett was disappointed with Fox’s reaction to the "racist and homophobic" letter that appeared at Chicago's "Empire" studio addressed to him -- which he actually sent himself -- so, he staged an attack, prosecutors said at a news conference after the actor's bail hearing. According to Chicago police, Smollett tried to gain attention by sending the false letter, but when that didn’t work Smollett upped the ante, and paid two brothers $3,500 to stage the attack. Smollett texted Abimbola Osundairo, one of two men involved in the hoax, "Might need your help on the low. You around to meet up to talk face-to-face?" They later met up and Smollett drove Osundairo in his car. During the ride, Smollett talked about his "displeasure" over the handling of the letter and wanted to "stage an attack," prosecutors said. About that letter: Seven days before the alleged attack, the letter was sent to a Chicago studio, where "Empire" is filmed. The letter contained written threats, cutout letters and a powdery substance that turned out to be ibuprofen. In cutout letters, it said, "Smollett, jussie, you will die" and "MAGA" was written as the return address, prosecutors said. The FBI is conducting forensic analysis of the letter.<doc-sep>Actor Jussie Smollett of ‘Empire’ speaks onstage during the FOX portion of the 2017 Summer Television Critics Association Press Tour on August 8, 2017 in Beverly Hills, California. Photo : Frederick M. Brown ( Getty Images ) This is a mess. Less than a month since news surfaced of Jussie Smollett’s alleged homophobic and racist attack on Jan. 29, things have spiraled into an unexpected circus. Advertisement Chicago Police Department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi has confirmed Smollett was arrested and is currently in custody, Deadline reports. A bail hearing will be scheduled for Thursday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday evening, Guglielmi confirmed the 36-year-old actor was charged with disorderly conduct and filing a false police report. Smollett’s legal team released a statement on behalf of their client, noting they planned to “conduct a thorough investigation and to mount an aggressive defense.” On Wednesday morning, a 20th Century Fox Television and Fox Entertainment provided an official statement to The Root: Jussie Smollett continues to be a consummate professional on set and as we have previously stated, he is not being written out of the show. However, that evening, a source reportedly close to the production of Empire told Variety that the production team is currently weighing on whether or not to suspend Smollett, following the charge. Fox declined to comment on that aspect, per Variety. Should the Empire actor be found guilty, he could face up to three years in prison. After leaking a rollercoaster of stories, CPD will hold a press conference at 9 a.m. CST on Thursday morning . Advertisement Advertisement We’ll keep you posted with updates as they arise. Update: Jan. 21, 2019, 11:07 a.m. ET: Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson and Commander of Area Central Detectives Edward Wodnicki held a press briefing on Thursday morning, confirming Smollett had turned himself in and will await a bond hearing on Thursday afternoon. Advertisement “[Smollett] took advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career,” Johnson began. “I’m left hanging my head and asking why?” Court of public opinion trial, indeed. Wodnicki provided a timeline of events, noting that “this investigation started to spin in a completely new direction” following their interview with Olabinjo Osundairo and Abimbola Osundairo, who were classified as suspects at the time. Johnson confirmed they have now been deemed witnesses, following a locked testimony to the Grand Jury. Advertisement The most glaring thing from Johnson’s brief was when he said the department is in possession of a $3, 500 check which Smollett paid the Osundairo brothers to carry out a plan he allegedly orchestrated after being dissatisfied with his Empire salary. Advertisement Additionally, Smollett’s mugshot was released on Thursday. Advertisement “I just wish that the families of gun violence in this city got this much attention because that’s who really deserves the amount of attention that we’re giving to this particular incident,” noted Johnson . Update: Jan. 21, 2019: 11:52 a.m. ET: The studio 20th Century Fox Television and Fox Entertainment has reached out to The Root with an official statement: We understand the seriousness of this matter and we respect the legal process. We are evaluating the situation and we are considering our options. Advertisement Update: Jan. 21, 2019, 4:50 p.m. ET: Smollett’s bond was set at $100,000 at a hearing this afternoon, the New York Times reports. The actor-singer’s family members were present in the courtroom.<doc-sep>
Chicago Police Department UPDATE: Prosecutors have released new details on what led to Smollett's arrest. “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett has been arrested and charged with felony disorderly conduct for allegedly filing a false police report. On Thursday, Anthony Guglielmi, Chief Communications Officer for the Chicago police, tweeted, “Jussie Smollet is under arrest and in custody of detectives. At 9am at #ChicagoPolice Headquarters, Supt Eddie Johnson, Commander of Area Central Detectives Edward Wodnicki will brief reporters on the investigation prior to the defendants appearance in court.” A mug shot has been released. Tom Ahern, Deputy Director of News Affairs and Communications for the Chicago police, added on Twitter, “Chicago Police Detectives take #Empire actor #JussieSmollett into custody to face Class 4 Felony charge (punishable for up to 3yrs in prison) for Disorderly Conduct in Falsifying Police report.” At the news conference, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said, “Smollett took advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career. This publicity stunt was a scar that Chicago didn't earn, and certainly didn't deserve.” "Empire actor Jussie Smollett took advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career" -@Chicago_Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson @cbschicago pic.twitter.com/xhpYvtuOHE @maggiehuynh As for the motive, the police noted that Smollett “was dissatisfied with his salary.” According to the police, Smollett paid two men $3,500 via check to stage the attack, with a promise of another $500 upon their return from Nigeria. Johnson said the wounds on Smollett's face were likely self-inflicted. The arrest comes a day after Smollett's legal team revealed that they were prepping for an “aggressive defense.” In a statement, they said, “Like any other citizen, Mr. Smollett enjoys the presumption of innocence, particularly when there has been an investigation like this one where information, both true and false, has been repeatedly leaked. Given these circumstances, we intend to conduct a thorough investigation and to mount an aggressive defense.”