Out actor Jussie Smollett surrendered to police in Chicago on Thursday morning.

Smollett, who is black and came out gay in 2015, has said that he was attacked last month by two men in downtown Chicago. The men hurled racial and homophobic slurs and told Smollett that he was in “MAGA country.”

(Related: Jussie Smollett at home recovering after possible anti-gay hate crime.)

Smollett, who stars on the Fox drama Empire, has been charged with one count of felony disorderly conduct for filing a false police report.

At a press conference Thursday, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said that a threatening letter sent to Smollett had been written by the actor. Johnson said that Smollett paid $3,500 to two brothers to orchestrate the attack. The brothers appeared before a grand jury on Wednesday. Johnson said that Smollett staged his own attack because he was “dissatisfied with his salary.”

"Empire actor Jussie Smollett took advantage of the pain and anger to promote his career," Johnson said. "I am left hanging my head and asking why? Why would anyone, especially an African-American man, use the symbolism of a noose to make false accusations? How could someone look at the hatred and suffering associated with that symbol and see an opportunity to manipulate that symbol to further his own public profile? How can an individual who has been embraced by the city of Chicago turn around and slap everyone in this city in the face by making these false claims?"

Smollett is expected to appear in bond court on Thursday.

Smollett faces up to three years in prison, if convicted of filing a false police report.