Chicago PD superintendent: 'Shameful' Jussie Smollett 'publicity stunt' motivated by dissatisfaction with 'Empire' salary

Eddie T. Johnson, the Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department, said during a Thursday press conference that Jussie Smollett's "publicity stunt" was motivated by dissatisfaction with his "Empire" salary.

Johnson said that Smollett sent himself the ransom-style letter that appeared prior to the Jan. 29 incident. "When that didn't work, Smollett paid $3,500 to stage this attack and drag Chicago's reputation through the mud in the process," he said, later confirming that police have seen the check Smollett wrote to pay off two men.

Smollett's current "Empire" salary pays him $65,000 per episode, according to HuffPost. There are approximately 18 episodes per season of the hit Fox show.

Johnson strongly condemned Smollett's alleged actions, calling it "shameful" that the actor "took advantage of the pain and anger of racism to advance his career."

"As a black man who spent his entire life living in the city of Chicago, I know the racial divide that exists here," Johnson said. "I know how hard it's been for our city and our nation to come together ... How can an individual who's been embraced by the city of Chicago turn around and slap everyone in this city in the face by making these false claims?"

In his original Jan. 29 report to police, Smollett said two men yelled racial and homophobic slurs as they attacked him with rope and bleach. When authorities arrived 45 minutes after the alleged attack, Smollett still had a rope around his neck, piquing some immediate police suspicion, according to TMZ.

The minor wounds Smollett showed police were "likely self-inflicted," Johnson said.

Smollett was arrested and put in police custody on Thursday. Felony charges against him were approved on Wednesday. The actor could face up to three years in prison if convicted.

Johnson also noted that while the case has received relentless scrutiny from the public -- "Celebrities, news commentators and even presidential candidates weighed in on something that was choreographed by an actor" -- the Chicago PD has not given this particular investigation more attentiveness than any other one.

"I wish the families of gun violence in this city got so much attention," Johnson said.

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