[Image] Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson held a heated news conference concerning the department’s investigation on Thursday morning. Johnson claimed that Smollett had orchestrated the fake attack because he was “dissatisfied with his salary.”  According to the Huffington Post, Smollett was paid $65,000 per episode during the latest season of Empire, which is currently on a midseason break. Seasons of the show typically contain 18 episodes.  News outlets had previously reported that Smollett’s alleged gambit was in response to fears that he was being written off Empire, though the show’s network, Fox, soon released a statement denying this was the case.  Johnson further alleged during the conference that Smollett had initially sent a false letter to the set of Empire filled with racist and homophobic threats against himself. The letters “MAGA” were reportedly written on the corner of the envelope.  When that failed to generate enough attention, Johnson claims, Smollett then paid brothers Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo with a $3,500 check to carry out the staged assault a week later. Johnson added that detectives are in possession of the check. GO READ THE WHOLE THING.