Former ‘Cheer’ star Jerry Harris sentenced to 12 years in prison on child porn, solicitation charges
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 29: Jerry Harris attends the Build Series to discuss "Cheer" at Build Studio on January 29, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Jim Spellman/Getty Images)
CHICAGO - Jerry Harris, the former star of the Netflix documentary series "Cheer" who pleaded guilty in February to charges of receiving child pornography and soliciting sex from minors, was sentenced to 12 years in federal court on Wednesday.
According to a press release published by attorneys representing two victims in the case, Harris will receive an additional 8 years of supervised release following his sentence.
"The sentence he received reflects the severity of his crimes and the lifetime of pain his victims will suffer," victims' attorney Sarah Klein said.
Harris, 22, of Naperville, Illinois, pleaded guilty in February to two of seven felony counts against him, one for persuading a 17-year-old to send him sexually explicit photographs for money and the other stemming from a trip he took to Florida for to "engage in illicit sexual conduct" with a 15-year-old. Prosecutors agreed to drop the remaining five charges under a plea agreement.
Prosecutors have asked U.S. District Judge Manish Shah to sentence Harris to 15 years in prison. They argued in a sentencing memo that Harris used "his status as a competitive cheerleader, his social media persona, and eventually his celebrity and money, to persuade and entice his young victims to engage in sexually explicit conduct for him or with him."
His defense attorneys have asked for a six-year sentence followed by eight years of supervised release. They described Harris as "both victimizer and victim" and said he was sexually assaulted when he was a child.
RELATED: Lawsuit: 'Cheer' star Jerry Harris sexually solicited minors
The child pornography charge carries a sentence ranging from five to 20 years and the second charge carries a maximum sentence of 30 years. He remains in custody at a federal detention facility.
The sentencing hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. Central time.
What is Jerry Harris accused of?
(L-R) La’Darius Marshall, Monica Aldama, Gabi Butler and Jerry Harris attend the Build Series to discuss "Cheer" at Build Studio on January 29, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Jim Spellman/Getty Images)
Harris was arrested in September 2020 on a charge of production of child pornography. Prosecutors alleged at the time that he solicited videos and images from two 14-year-old brothers.
According to a complaint, federal prosecutors said that Harris admitted to repeatedly asking a minor teen for pornographic videos and images between December 2018 and March 2020.
Then in December of that year, he was indicted on more charges alleging misconduct in Illinois, Florida and Texas.
According to the indictment, Harris allegedly solicited sex from minors at cheerleading competitions and convinced teenage boys to send him obscene photographs and videos of themselves.
Harris admitted to FBI agents to asking a teenage boy to send him lewd photographs of himself, and to requesting child pornography on Snapchat from at least 10 to 15 others he knew to be minors, according to the indictment.
Jerry Harris was ‘wildly popular’ on ‘Cheer’
Oprah Winfrey speaks with the cast of Netflix's "Cheer", (L-R) Monica Aldama, Jerry Harris, Gabi Butler, Lexi Brumback, TT Barker and Dillon Brandt during Oprah's 2020 Vision: Your Life in Focus Tour presented by WW (Weight Watchers Reimagined) at Am
"Cheer" was a huge success when it was released in January 2020 and Harris became wildly popular for his upbeat attitude and his encouraging "mat talk." Harris even interviewed celebrities on the red carpet at the Academy Awards for "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."
He also appeared on stage alongside Oprah Winfrey in Dallas in February 2020 as part of her 2020 Vision Tour.
The docuseries follows the competitive cheerleading squad from Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas. Netflix hasn’t announced whether a third season is in the works.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.