Jussie Smollett indicted on 16 felony counts

The Jussie Smollett saga has come full circle.

The Empire actor was indicted on 16 felony counts of disorderly conduct on Friday, CBS Chicago reports. The charges come after more than a month of confusion after Smollett said he was the victim of a homophobic and racist attack, which police now say was a fabrication.

A grand jury released the new charges against Smollett on Thursday and scheduled an arraignment for March 14, per CBS Chicago. The charges come in two sets: One set covering what Smollett originally told police about the attack, and one covering his interview with police later that day, ABC7 Chicago notes. Smollett faces a potential sentence of probation to four years in prison, and ABC7 Chicago says he'll probably arrive at a plea deal.

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Smollett first reported the attack in late January, alleging two men assaulted him while yelling slurs. After an investigation, police alleged Smollett staged the attack because he was dissatisfied with his Empire salary and charged him with one count of disorderly conduct for filing a false police report. More scathing was Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson's statement that Smollett "took advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career."

After being released on bail after his first charge, Smollett continued to claim he was innocent. Still, Fox opted to remove Smollett's role from the last two episodes of Empire's ongoing season as the legal process continued.