Jerry Harris, who starred in the Netflix documentary series ‘Cheer’, was sentenced to 12 years in prison in a child pornography case on Wednesday. He was on trial for coercing teenage boys to send him sexually-explicit photos and videos of themselves and also for soliciting sex from minors.
The 22-year-old pleaded guilty to one count each of receiving child pornography and traveling with the intention to engage in illegal sexual conduct earlier this year. Before his sentencing, Harris addressed the victims and apologized. “I am deeply sorry for all the trauma my abuse has caused you. I pray deep down that your suffering comes to an end,” he said.
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Jerry Harris Gets 12 Years In Child Pornography Case
U.S. District Judge Manish Shah sentenced Jerry Harris to 12 years in federal prison and asked him to think of his sentence as an “expression of the seriousness of your crimes, tempered with some hope that all is not lost for you or for your victims, and that in the future some healing can occur.” The judge also ordered eight years of court-supervised release after the completion of the sentence.
A prosecutor had requested the court for a sentence of 15 years followed by 10 years of supervised release. Harris’ attorneys asked the judge for a six-year sentence and eight years of supervised release.
Harris had his say in court and he stated, “I’m not an evil person. I’m still learning who I am and what my purpose is.”
All About Harris’ Crimes
Jerry Harris was arrested in September 2020 on a charge of the production of child pornography following an investigation by the FBI. Prosecutors at the time alleged that the former star solicited videos and images from two 14-year-old brothers. He allegedly also repeatedly asked a minor teen for obscene photos and videos between December 2018 and March 2020
Harris was then indicted on various charges of misconduct in Illinois, Florida and Texas. He allegedly solicited sex from minors at cheerleading competitions. He admitted his crimes in front of FBI agents. He asked a teen boy to send him pornographic photos of himself, and also requested child pornography on Snapchat from at least 10 to 15 others he had knowledge of being minors, according to the indictment.
Sarah Klein, an attorney for two of Harris’ victims, gave a statement about Harris’ sentencing. “The sentence he received reflects the severity of his crimes and the lifetime of pain his victims will suffer,” she said.
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