A Cook County grand jury charged embattled Empire actor Jussie Smollett in a 16-count indictment that alleges he lied to Chicago authorities about being the victim of a what is being called a phony attack, The Chicago Tribune reported.

Prosecutors initially charged Smollett, 36, last month on one felony count of filing a false report.

At a Feb. 21 press conference that attracted a crowd of media, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said that Smollett, who is openly gay, faked a threatening letter and then, a week later, staged a racist, anti-gay attack in downtown Chicago because he was "dissatisfied with his salary" on the Fox show Empire.

Johnson said that Smollett paid two brothers he knew ( Ola and Abel Osundairo ) $3,500 by check to fake the attack in the Chicago's Streeterville neighborhood Jan. 29.

The Tribune item is at Website Link Here .