HomeCelebrity‘Cheer’ Actor Jerry Harris Sentenced To 12 Years Prison For Sex Crimes...

‘Cheer’ Actor Jerry Harris Sentenced To 12 Years Prison For Sex Crimes Against Minors

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.

Read More: R. Kelly Sentenced To 30 Years In Prison For Sex Trafficking And Racketeering

Jerry Harris Gets 12 Years In Child Pornography Case

Jerry Harris

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.

Read More: Bill Cosby Found Guilty Of Sexually Abusing A Teenager In 1975

Read More: Teenage Girl Survives Shark Attack At Florida Beach, Narrates The Incident

Rishita Roy Chowdhury
Rishita Roy Chowdhuryhttps://firstcuriosity.com
Rishita Roy Chowdhury is the Chief Editor at First Curiosity. She has always been fascinated with the power of words and the need to follow goings on of the world. She likes to spend most of her time contemplating her existence, and escaping reality by reading, writing, and watching movies and shows. So, she made a career out of it in 2017 when she joined ScoopWhoop and extensively wrote about pop culture. To gain more experience of hardcore news, she moved on to the print arena with The Sunday Guardian newspaper where she interviewed celebrities, musicians, sportsmen, authors, chefs, and more. Her love of all things art and culture also led her to review books, movies, series, and restaurants. She tested and expanded her skills by dabbling in the digital space with India Today’s entertainment team. There, she wrote thousands of articles on the world of glitz and glamour. Now, at First Curiosity, she constantly searches and writes stories that resonate with readers and spark their interest. She also manages a team of dedicated writers who share her vision to remain sane in a crazy world with doses of entertainment.
RELATED ARTICLES

Trending on FC