Jerry Harris, who was one of the stars of the Emmy-winning Netflix docuseries Cheer, has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for soliciting sex and pornographic photos and videos from minors.
He was originally arrested in September 2020 after 14-year-old twin brothers accused Harris of harassing them online and in person when they were 13 and he was 19. Following an FBI investigation, Harris faced federal charges of child sexual exploitation over incidents with minors in Texas, Florida, and his home state of Illinois.
In February 2022, Harris pleaded guilty to two charges of sex crimes involving minors after reaching a deal with prosecutors. In exchange, the other charges were dropped.
At the time, Harris released a statement via his lawyers, saying, “he wishes to take responsibility for his actions and publicly convey his remorse for the harm he has caused the victims in this case.” He added that he himself was “exploited, manipulated, and sexually abused as a child within the Cheer Community.”
Cheer, which follows the Navarro College Bulldogs Cheer Team from Corsicana, Texas, and their coach Monica Aldama, premiered its second season on January 12, 2022. The episodes aired the reactions from Harris’ former teammates when news of his arrest broke.
“My heart completely sank,” said teammate Gabi Butler in Episode 5. “I honestly thought I was living in a bad dream. I could not wrap my head around any of that. I felt like someone had just, like, died.”
Aldama also commented on the situation on Instagram, writing, “My heart is shattered into a million pieces… I’m praying hard for the victims and everyone affected.”
Cheer, Streaming now, Netflix
