Jerry Harris, star of the Netflix show Cheer, could be sentenced to 15 years in prison for a child pornography conviction, according to federal prosecutors.
Harris, 22, faces up to 50 years in prison after pleading guilty in February to receiving child pornography and traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.
In court documents obtained by: TMZprosecutors characterized Harris’s actions as “horrific,” but said they took his difficult childhood into account when taking their criminal advice.
In addition to time behind bars, prosecutors asked for 10 years of post-detention supervision.
Harris’ legal team demanded six years in prison, with eight years of supervision after release.
Harris will be sentenced on June 28.
Jerry Harris, 22, faces up to 50 years in prison after pleading guilty in February to receiving child pornography and other charges
Harris (far right) emerged as the star of the first season of the 2020 docuseries Cheer, which followed the Navarro College cheerleading team as they prepare for the national championship
Harris (far right) emerged as the star of the first season of the 2020 docuseries Cheer, which followed the Navarro College cheerleading team as they prepare for the national championship
Harris (far right) emerged as the star of the first season of the 2020 docuseries Cheer, which followed the Navarro College cheerleading team as they prepare for the national championship
Harris emerged as the star of the first season of the 2020 docuseries Cheer, which followed the cheerleading team from Navarro College of Corsicana, Texas as they prepared to compete in the National Cheerleading Championship.
The show was released in January 2020. In September of that year, Harris was sued by a pair of 13-year-old twin brothers who said they were “star struck” when they met him, and at his request, they sent him nude photos.
Harris was arrested by the FBI that week. He was then 19 years old.
Harris was later charged with seven counts of sexual acts with minors that took place in Florida, Illinois and Texas. He pleaded not guilty to all charges at the time.
Harris (second from left) came from a background of homelessness and sexual abuse, described by the prosecution as “full of setbacks and developmental delays”
“Like many child predators, Harris took advantage of a power imbalance to sexually exploit his young victims,” US Attorney General Kelly Guzman wrote in the lawsuit. †
Both the defense and the prosecution pointed to Harris’s difficult childhood, which included homelessness and at least two instances of childhood sexual assault.
Prosecutors characterized Harris’ childhood as “full of setbacks and developmental delays” in their sentencing recommendation.
Attorney Joshua Herman wrote of Harris’s past: “These experiences distorted Jeremiah’s view of ‘normal’ relationships, especially given how they took place alongside social media and within the Cheer community ecosystem.”