Actor Jussie Smollett has been arrested on suspicion of filing a false report about an alleged hate crime committed against him last month.
The Empire star was taken into custody around 5 a.m. CT, police said, ahead of a 1:30 p.m. bail hearing, CNN reported.
Smollett now faces a felony charge of disorderly conduct for allegedly filing a false report with the Chicago Police Department when he claimed he was attacked by two men on Jan. 29. The actor told authorities that the pair tied a noose around his neck and poured an unknown chemical on him.
But since then, police have been able to poke holes in Smollett’s story and the actor quickly went from victim to suspect.
Chicago Police Department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi tweeted Wednesday that the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office approved a felony criminal charge of disorderly conduct against Smollett.
Under Illinois law, filing a false police report is disorderly conduct and punishable by one to three years in prison, CNN reported.
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