Jussie Smollett Indicted with 16 Felony Charges After Alleged Hate Crime Hoax

Empire star Jussie Smollett will be going into the weekend with a legal anvil hanging over his head. According to CBS Chicago, the actor was indicted Friday by a grand jury with 16 felony counts of filing a false police report, after reportedly faking a hate crime in January.

The indictment means that Chicago police presented the grand jury with enough evidence to try Smollett for the 16 charges. The actor will be arraigned Friday, March 14, to formally hear the charges and enter a plea of guilty or not guilty.

According to the indictment, Smollett claimed that he was attacked by two men around 2 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 29, one of whom was wearing a mask. His family later called the incident "a racial and homophobic hate crime." However, the investigation led by Chicago police led to two Nigerian brothers who claimed that Smollett paid for the attack with a check. Police claim Smollett orchestrated the attack due to disgruntlement with his Empire paycheck; the actor has denied those accusations.

Smollett has been written out of the rest of Empire's fifth season, which is currently airing on Fox. The studio that produces the series declined to comment on Smollett's indictment.

Smollett's reps did not immediately return TV Guide's requests for comment.

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