Jerry Harris, formerly featured on the Netflix docuseries “Cheer”, was sentenced on July 5th to 12 years of prison for charges involving child sexual abuse images. Harris was indicted on seven counts of receiving and attempting to receive child pornography, and also for persuading minors to engage in sexual contact. These instances allegedly occurred from August 2017 to August 2020. Prosecutors stated that the victims were from Florida, Texas, and Illinois.
The prosecutors sought a 15-year sentence, citing that he used his status as a competitive cheerleader and social media personality, along with his subsequent celebrity status, to convince minors to send him sexually explicit images.
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Though he portrayed himself to be a “mentor” to these minors, he would bribe and pressure them to conduct sexual favors, then if they wouldn’t, he would threaten to distribute the videos they had sent if they did not continue. Harris’ behavior continued until his arrest in September 2020. His attorneys asked for a six-year prison sentence, citing court documents that note a childhood history of experiencing sexual assault.
Two of the victims were twin brothers, and one stated that Harris solicited him for oral sex at a cheerleading competition they all attended, telling him to meet in the public bathroom where Harris then sexually assaulted him. One of the brothers was also contacted on Instagram in 2018 when he was 13 and Harris was 19. One of the brothers told an investigator that Harris was touchy— he would ask for explicit pictures of him, and when he refused, Harris became pushy.
According to USA Today, “the now-16-year-old twins gave statements in federal court detailing the lasting impact of Harris’ abuse, including the loss of friendships and their struggles with anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. Charlie said he became so afraid of public restrooms after Harris pressured him for sex in one that he stopped eating at school so he wouldn’t have to use the bathroom there.”
Another victim, who was 17 years old, stated that Harris continually asked him for pictures on Snapchat and the victim refused until Harris offered to pay him.
Harris told investigators that he had contacted the brothers to send and receive sexually explicit images, admitted to soliciting and receiving nude pictures from 10-15 other minors, and engaged in oral and anal sex with a 15-year-old.
Season 2 of “Cheer” covered the charges against Harris, discussing them in episode five, titled “Jerry.” The mother of the twin brothers gave a statement to NBC in early February 2022, stating that “… my sons took the brave step of speaking publicly about the sexual abuse they suffered at the hands of Jerry Harris.”
After the seven-hour hearing, District Judge Manish Shah additionally sentenced Harris to eight years of supervised release following his 12-year prison sentence.
“Jerry Harris’ guilt has been firmly established,” said Sarah Klein, attorney for a Texas family that reported allegations against Harris to authorities. “The sentence he received reflects the severity of his crimes and the lifetime of pain his victims will suffer.”
An Atlanta-based actress, model, writer, and screenwriter, Miranda started her career on stage in high school. She figured out that acting and writing were two passions of hers that allowed her to constructively express her emotions through character and narrative. In 2022, she packed up her cat and everything she owned to move across the US to Atlanta to further pursue opportunities in the entertainment industry. She is currently working on a novel and the screenplay adaptation for the novel, and enjoys designing graphics.
