Former Star of Netflix’s ‘Cheer’ Jerry Harris Sentenced to 12 Years on Sexual Abuse and Child Porn Charges

Netflix’s Cheer – Image via Screenshot

Jerry Harris, a former breakout star of Netflix docuseries Cheer, was sentenced by a federal judge to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges of soliciting child pornography and illegal sexual conduct including minors.

Harris, 22, initially pled not guilty to the charges after being arrested in September of 2020. Harris and prosecutors reached a plea deal in February of this year for Harris to plead guilty to one count of receiving child pornography and one count of traveling with the intent to engage in illegal sexual conduct with a minor, asking that the remaining charges be dropped.

The charges that the former cheerleader did not plead guilty to as part of the plea deal include four counts of sexual exploitation of minors and one count of enticement. Involved in the seven charges against Harris are five minor boys.

U.S. District Judge Manish Shah ordered that the 12-year prison sentence be followed by a court-supervised release for eight years and told Harris that the severity of his sentence expresses, “the seriousness of your crimes.”

Prior to the sentencing, Harris was being held in custody at a federal detention facility awaiting the hearing. Harris apologized for his actions, telling his victims that he is “deeply sorry for all the trauma my abuse has caused you.”

In 2020, federal prosecutors claimed that Harris has admitted to asking a minor for photographic images and videos between 2018 and 2020. Then, in December of 2020 Harris was indicted on more charges alleging sexual misconduct in Illinois, Florida, and Texas.

Cheer, which follows Navarro College’s national champion cheerleading team, was a broad success and won an Emmy. Harris was a breakout star of the first season with his signature encouragement of his teammates. The second season revealed the devastation experienced by the team after learning about Harris’s indictment.