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A prosecutor has asked a federal judge to sentence Jerry Harris, a former star of the Netflix documentary series ‘Cheer’, to 15 years in prison for forcing teenage boys to send him racy photos and videos of himself and to have sex. Questions to minors at cheerleading competitions. â€
Harris’ lawyers are demanding a six-year sentence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Guzman wrote in a memo about the sentencing late Wednesday that Harris “used his competitive cheerleader status, his social media persona, and ultimately his celebrity and money to convince and trick his young victims into being sexually explicit.” behavior for him. or with him.”
Prosecutors demand 15 years for former “Cheer” star Jerry Harris. (Photo by Jim Spellman/Getty Images)
Guzman also requested a sentence, including ten years of supervised release after jail time.
‘CHEER’ STAR JERRY HARRIS NOT GUILTY OF FELONIES IN CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CASE
Harris, 22, of a suburb of Naperville, pleaded guilty earlier this year to receiving child pornography and traveling with the intent to engage in unlawful sexual conduct. He will be sentenced on July 6 by U.S. District Judge Manish Shah.
Defense attorneys, who asked for a six-year prison term followed by eight years of supervised release, described Harris as “both perpetrator and victim,” saying he had been sexually assaulted as a child.
“The trauma he experienced as a child normalized his skewed version of what he understood as appropriate relationships. No one was there to stand up for him when he was sexually abused as a minor. He is grateful that this is not the case for his victims in this case, to whom he deeply repents.” lawyers wrote.
La’Darius Marshall, Monica Aldama, Gabi Butler, and Jerry Harris attended the Build Series to discuss “Cheer” in 2020. (Photo by Jim Spellman/Getty Images)
Federal prosecutors acknowledged that the actor’s traumatic childhood was a mitigating factor in his crimes. However, they said, “While Harris’ childhood was very difficult, it was not a blank check to commit sexual offenses against minors.”
Harris remains in custody in a federal detention center.
Harris was arrested in September 2020 on charges of child pornography production. Prosecutors at the time alleged that he had requested videos and images of two 14-year-old brothers.
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According to a complaint, federal prosecutors said Harris admitted to repeatedly asking an underage teen to provide pornographic videos and images between December 2018 and March 2020.
In December of that year, he was indicted on more misconduct charges in Illinois, Florida, and Texas. According to the indictment, Harris asked minors for sex at cheerleading competitions and persuaded teenage boys to send him racy photos and videos of himself.
Jerry Harris (R) attends the Vanity Fair Oscar Party 2020 hosted by Radhika Jones. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
According to the indictment, Harris admitted to FBI agents that he asked a teenage boy to send him racy photos of himself. He requested child pornography on Snapchat from at least 10 to 15 others he knew were underage.
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“Cheer” was a huge success when it was released in January 2020, and Harris became wildly popular for his cheerful demeanor and encouraging “mat talk”. Harris even interviewed celebrities on the red carpet at the Academy Awards for “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”
The docuseries follows the competitive cheerleaders of Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas.
