Live updates: Jussie Smollett charges dropped - CNN

"Empire" actor Jussie Smollett was indicted earlier this month on 16 felony counts after authorities said he filed false reports of a crime.

The indictment charged Smollett, 36, with 16 counts of disorderly conduct.

Here's how things started: Smollett reported to police in January that he had been attacked in Chicago in an incident that ended with a noose around his neck. Police initially investigated the case as a possible hate crime.

The indictment: The indictment said Smollett told police he was attacked by two men who used racial and homophobic slurs during an attack at 2 a.m.

After police detained two brothers who were "persons of interest" in mid-February, police sources revealed that authorities suspected Smollett knew the men and allegedly had paid them $3,500 to stage the attack. The men were released without being charged.

Smollett denied any involvement in orchestrating an attack.

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