‘Cheer’ star Jerry Harris sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for sex crimes

‘Cheer’ star Jerry Harris sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for sex crimes

The 22-year-old pleaded guilty in February to two charges for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old in the bathroom during a cheer competition and paying a 17-year-old to send him sexually explicit photos and videos via Snapchat, court records show. Harris also admitted to similar conduct involving other minors, though prosecutors agreed to dismiss those charges as part of the plea agreement. Harris’ conviction marked a stunning fall for the former star who had captivated fans when he appeared in “Cheer.” His arrest in September 2020 sparked a reckoning in the world of competitive cheerleading, prompting others to share their own accounts of ABUSE and pressuring the sport’s governing body to institute reforms. In court documents filed prior to sentencing, Harris’ attorneys had argued for a six-year sentence, citing Harris’ difficult childhood. The attorneys, who could not immediately be reached for comment following Wednesday’s sentencing, said Harris had a “warped” view of relationships because he himself was sexually assaulted at age 13 by a 19-year-old from his cheer gym. Prosecutors, who had asked for a 15-year prison sentence, acknowledged Harris’ traumatic upbringing but said it was “not a blank check to commit sex offenses against minors.” “Harris used his celebrity and wealth to continue his exploitation of children, expanding the tools available to him to manipulate them into gratifying his. seemingly insatiable sexual desires,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Guzman wrote in her sentencing memorandum. Judge Manish Shah also sentenced Harris to eight years of supervised release following his time in prison, said Sarah Klein, attorney for a Texas family that was the first to report allegations against Harris to authorities. “Jerry Harris’ guilt has been firmly established,” Klein said. “The sentence he received reflects the severity of his crimes and the lifetime of pain his victims will suffer.” That family, Kristen and her twin sons Charlie and Sam, described a pattern of harassment by Harris that started when the boys were 13 and Harris was 19. In interviews with USA TODAY , they said it continued for more than a year. USA TODAY agreed to withhold the family’s last name because the boys are minors and alleging ABUSE. The twins, now 16, gave statements in federal court Wednesday detailing the lasting impact of Harris’ ABUSE, including the loss of friendships and their struggles with anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. Charlie said he became so afraid of public restrooms after Harris pressured him for sex in one that he stopped eating at school so he wouldn’t have to use the bathroom there. Cheerleading has a list of people banned: It was missing 74 convicted sex offenders ‘A huge slap in the face’: Frustrations grow over cheerleading’s mishandled sexual misconduct cases “I knew in my heart and soul that what Jerry was doing to me and Sam was bad,” Charlie wrote in his statement, “Now it is time for those same organizations to demonstrate an unequivocal commitment to the transparency, accountability, and substantive change necessary to prevent this from ever happening again,” she said. This article will be updated. MARISA KWIATKOWSKI and Tricia L. Nadolny are reporters on USA TODAY’s national investigative team. Marisa can be reached at mkwiatko@usatoday.com, @byMarisaK or by phone, Signal or WhatsApp at (317) 207-2855. Tricia can be reached tnadolny@usatoday.com or @TriciaNadolny. Author: MARISA KWIATKOWSKI, Tricia L. Nadolny

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