Cheer star Jerry Harris pleads guilty to child pornography charges
Former Cheer star Jerry Harris pleaded guilty to charges related to his federal child pornography case on Thursday, reversing an earlier plea in December 2020.
Harris reached an agreement with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to two of seven counts: receiving child pornography and using interstate travel with the intent to illicit a sexual act with a minor.
Harris' attorney Todd Pugh said in a statement issued to EW that his client entered the guilty plea "because he wishes to take responsibility for his actions and publicly convey his remorse for the harm he has caused the victims in this case."
Jim Spellman/Getty Images 'Cheer' star Jerry Harris pleads guilty to child pornography charges
"Jerry is a 22-year-old young man whose story can only be understood though the lens of the extreme poverty, sexual abuse, and neglect of his childhood," the statement read. "The criminal conduct in this case also took place in the context of a competitive cheer community where inappropriately sexualizing and sexually abusing children was far too common and too often overlooked."
"Jerry was himself exploited, manipulated, and sexually abused as a child within the cheer community in a way that perversely made him believe that this sexual conduct was somehow normal when it was not," the statement continued. "With his plea of guilty, Jerry will spend the rest of his life making amends for what he has done."
The Illinois native was arrested in September 2020 and charged for allegedly cajoling an underage boy to produce sexually explicit videos and photos of himself. The arrest was in response to a suit filed on behalf of two 14-year-old brothers who accused Harris of sexual exploitation and abuse, including the solicitation of oral sex and threat of "imminent physical bodily injury without [the boy's] consent."
Sarah Klein, the attorney representing the brothers, heralded the plea but called for a thorough investigation of the United States All Star Federation, Varsity Spirit, and Cheer Athletics, organizations that Harris are a part of.
Netflix Jerry Harris on 'Cheer.'
"We are grateful that the U.S. Attorney and the FBI investigated this case, located additional victims and took action," Klein said in a statement. "Now, Jerry Harris' guilt has been firmly established. This was made possible because our clients' mother, Kristen, initially had the courage to report Harris to the FBI and provided evidentiary proof of the manipulation, sexual harassment, abuse, and exploitation that her sons had suffered."
"We now urge the authorities to undertake a thorough investigation of the United States All Star Federation, Varsity Spirit, and Cheer Athletics to determine which of their executives, employees, and representatives could have stopped Harris' abuse and failed to do so," the statement concluded.
"Harris' admission of guilt today gives me hope that the pain and grief that my sons have suffered as a result of speaking up has not been in vain," the boys' mother, Kristen, added in the statement. "I will continue my mission to hold Jerry Harris and his enablers fully accountable both in the courts of law and the court of public opinion."
In a statement issued to EW, the U.S. All Star Federation said, "The USASF's mission promotes all aspects of athlete safety. The USASF deplores any allegations of sexual abuse of our athletes. We endeavor to support victims with proper processes. We are committed to this mission each day for our athletes."
The media team at Cheer Athletics added, "Cheer Athletics' outreach occurred same-day to begin to fulfill their reporting requirements with the Harris allegations. Cheer Athletics cares deeply about the safety and dignity of all involved in the sport. CA will continue best efforts to make the sport of cheer safer. The facts of this sad story have yet to fully be known and told. Cheer Athletics trusts the judicial process."
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