'Cheer' star Jerry Harris sentenced to 12 years in prison in child pornography case

"Cheer" star Jeremiah "Jerry" Harris was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison after pleading guilty in February to two of seven counts of sexual abuse and child pornography, USA Today reported on July 6. plea agreement, other charges dropped.

In a statement to People in February, Harris' defense team claimed he decided to plead guilty "because he wishes to take responsibility for his actions and publicly express his remorse for the harm he caused to the victims in this case". The statement continued: "Jerry is a 22-year-old young man whose story can only be understood through the prism of extreme poverty, sexual abuse and neglect from his childhood. Jerry himself has was sexually exploited, manipulated and abused as a child within the joy community in a way that made him perversely believe that this sexual behavior was somehow normal when it was not. "

Harris was originally arrested in Naperville on September 17, 2020, after allegations of child sexual exploitation and abuse were brought against him in a lawsuit brought by an attorney representing two alleged victims . Three months later, he faced additional charges of receiving and attempting to receive child pornography, using the internet in Orlando, Florida, to 'persuade, induce and entice' a minor, and traveling from Texas to Florida "for the purpose of engaging in unlawful sexual conduct" with a minor.

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