Former Cheer star Jerry Harris pleaded guilty on Thursday to charges in his federal child pornography case. He faces from 5 to 50 years in federal prison. It’s believed the 22-year-old reality star reached a plea deal with prosecutors.
///BREAKING/// Former ‘Cheer’ star Jerry Harris pleads guilty to sexually victimizing underage boys, faces from 5 to 50 years in federal prison. Background: https://t.co/lxIUizN7Ox
— Jason Meisner (@jmetr22b) February 10, 2022
Harris was the breakout star of Cheer when the Netflix docuseries premiered in 2020. Before the reality show, he was well known in the cheerleading world. Prosecutors allege Harris used his fame to victimize young boys even after learning he was under investigation. According to a complaint obtained by the Chicago Tribune, he admitted to soliciting and receiving child pornography on Snapchat from “at least between 10 to 15 other individuals he knew were minors.”
Harris is accused of receiving and attempting to receive child pornography. He allegedly persuaded minors to engage in sexual contact. The alleged crimes involved victims in Florida, Illinois and Texas between 2017 and 2020, according to NBC News.
Cheer returned for a second season last month — without Harris. The series addressed the allegations against their former teammate. Monica Aldama, the show’s figurehead coach, told The New York Times she can “barely talk about” the situation “without crying.”
Harris’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 28.
