Jussie Smollett. Photo: Amanda Edwards/WireImage/Getty Images Weeks after Empire actor Jussie Smollett claimed that he was the subject of a racist and homophobic attack, he has turned himself in to custody to face a charge of filing a false police report. Smollett turned himself in to Chicago police early Thursday morning, and is expected to appear in court later in the day. Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson held a press briefing after the arrest and claimed that Smollett had fabricated the assault story because he was dissatisfied with his salary on the TV series. “Empire actor Jussie Smollett took advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career,” Johnson said. Here’s everything CPD outlined during the press conference. Police say Smollett sent a threatening letter to himself. Less than a week before the attack, Smollett received a racist and homophobic letter containing white powder at the Fox studio where Empire is filmed. Johnson said that Smollett sent the “false” letter to himself in an attempt to “gain attention.” Smollett reportedly paid $3,500 to stage the attack. Johnson said that when the false letter “didn’t work,” Smollett paid $3,500 to Olabinjo Osundairo and Abimbola Osundairo, two brothers who have connections to Empire, to stage the attack. In doing so, Johnson said, Smollett helped “drag Chicago’s reputation through the mud.” JUST IN: Chicago police: Smollett sent "false letter that relied on racial, homophobic and political language. When that didn't work, Smollett paid $3,500 to stage this attack and drag Chicago's reputation through the mud" because he was "dissatisfied" with his salary. pic.twitter.com/jR5iVTPG0I — NBC News (@NBCNews) February 21, 2019 Johnson also said that police have a check that Smollett allegedly wrote to the brothers for $3,500 split between the two of them in exchange for helping him stage the attack. He also said that phone records showed that Smollett spoke to the brothers on the phone “an hour or so” before the incident and after. "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 Smollett previously told police he was attacked by two masked men who beat him up, poured “an unknown chemical substance” on him, and put a noose around his neck as he was walking home from a Subway sandwich shop in Chicago on January 29. Detective Commander Edward Wodnicki said that police learned at the time that Smollett was “not hurt other than scratches on his face. Maybe some bruising, but no broken ribs or serious injuries.” Johnson said that as far as police could tell, the brothers may have “punched him a little bit,” but the scratches on his face were “most likely self-inflicted.” "The brothers had on gloves during the staged attack where they punched him a little bit, but as far as we can tell the scratches and bruising that you saw on his face was most likely self-inflicted," Chicago PD chief Eddie Johnson said. https://t.co/MfyQuQi1uf pic.twitter.com/29qTT2oOio — CBS News (@CBSNews) February 21, 2019 Police executed over 50 search warrants in their investigation. Wodnicki added that police executed over 50 search warrants and subpoenas during investigation of the case, and that the attorney for the Osundairo brothers had gone to Chicago PD because she believed that there was something “fishy” about the case. He also said that the brothers were not the ones who orchestrated the crime. Wodnicki said the attorney for brothers Ola and Abel Osundairo went to Chicago PD and believed something was "fishy" about the case https://t.co/MfyQuQi1uf pic.twitter.com/gf1j5S1gGU — CBS News (@CBSNews) February 21, 2019 Police then worked with the men to document their story and get a timeline, which Wodnicki says investigators were able to substantiate. Police are demanding an apology from Smollett. When asked what he thought would bring justice to the case, Johnson said that an apology from Smollett would be a start. Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson blasts Jussie Smollett: "Absolute justice would be an apology to this city that he smeared, admitting what he did, and then be man enough to offer what he should offer up in terms of all the resources that were put into this." pic.twitter.com/QhGrnEfIUm — BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) February 21, 2019 Throughout the press conference, Johnson pointed out the hours and resources that Chicago police had spent on the case, adding that police were “pissed” when they learned his motive. He also called Smollett’s Good Morning America interview “shameful.” “It painted this city that we all love and work hard in in a negative connotation,” he said. Prior to Smollett turning himself in, his lawyers released a statement saying that they would launch an “aggressive defense” of the actor, and that “like any other citizen, Mr. Smollett enjoys the presumption of innocence.” Smollett is expected to appear in court later today. If found guilty of the charge of filing a false police report, he could face up to three years in prison. Stay in touch. Get the Cut newsletter delivered daily Email This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Terms & Privacy Notice By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us.<doc-sep>A press conference is about to get underway in Chicago to discuss the case of Empire star Jussie Smollett. Smollett surrendered to Chicago police yesterday, as he faces a felony criminal charge of disorderly conduct/filing a false police report in connection with his alleged January 29 attack. Superintendent Eddie Johnson and Commander of Area Central Detectives Edward Wodnicki will brief reporters on the investigation prior to Smollett’s appearance in court. On Wednesday, Chicago police announced the actor was now officially classified a suspect in a criminal investigation for filing a false police report, which is a Class 4 felony. A Cook County grand jury has since returned an indictment, and Smollett now faces a maximum of three years in prison if found guilty. His attorneys later issued a statement. “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.” Watch the news conference live above.<doc-sep>
On Thursday, Empire star Jussie Smollett surrendered to authorities in Chicago. He faces a felony criminal charge of disorderly conduct/filing a false police report in connection with his alleged attack last month. A press conference will be held at Chicago PD headquarters at 9 am CT (10 am ET / 7 am PT), where Superintendent Eddie Johnson and Commander of Area Central Detectives Edward Wodnicki will brief reporters on the investigation prior to Smollett’s appearance in court. Update: For a full report on the press conference, click here. On Wednesday, Chicago police announced that the actor was now officially classified a suspect in a criminal investigation for filing a false police report, which is a Class 4 felony. A Cook County grand jury has since returned an indictment, and Smollett now faces a maximum of three years in prison if found guilty. At the time of the announcement, Chicago authorities were said to be in contact with Smollett’s legal team to “negotiate a reasonable surrender for his arrest.” Smollett’s attorneys responded with a statement: “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.” Popular on TVLine Smollett was the alleged victim of an attack in Chicago last month, in which two men supposedly approached the actor/singer and began hurling racist and homophobic slurs at him. According to the original account, the two men beat Smollett, poured a chemical substance (believed to be bleach) on him and tied a noose around his neck before fleeing the scene. Smollett also told police that the assailants “yelled pro-‘Make America Great Again’ [MAGA] comments” during the attack. Later developments cast doubt on Smollett’s account, including the questioning of two suspects — a pair of Nigerian brothers, one of whom worked as a personal trainer on a music video of Smollett’s — who were later released without being charged. Smollett’s lawyers have insisted that the actor played no role in his attack, and 20th Century Fox, the producers of Empire, have stood behind him, denying reports that his role on the show is being reduced in light of the controversy: “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.” A live stream of the Chicago PD press conference (courtesy of NBC News) is embedded above.