A grand jury indicted Jussie Smollett, the actor from the television series “Empire,” on Thursday on 16 counts of disorderly conduct after the authorities said he falsely reported to the police that he had been attacked by two men who made racial and homophobic slurs, court records show.

Mr. Smollett, who is black and gay, had told the police in January that while he was walking in downtown Chicago to pick up food, he had been assaulted by two men who put a rope around his neck, poured a chemical substance on him and said it was “MAGA country,” a reference to President Trump’s campaign slogan of Make America Great Again.

About a dozen detectives were assigned to the case. Mr. Smollett, who the police said did not have serious injuries, received an outpouring of public support at a time when reported hate crimes were on the rise.

But last month, the authorities revealed that they believed the assault was staged and that Mr. Smollett was upset with his salary for his work on the television series and wanted publicity.