‘Cheer’ star Jerry Harris to be sentenced 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, will be sentenced in federal court Wednesday morning.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 minorsThe child pornography charge carries a sentence ranging from five to 20 years and the second charge carries a maximum sentence of 30 years.
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