He was climbing the ranks of fame as the star of Netflix’s Cheer, but as quickly as he rose was as fast as he fell. In 2019, it was discovered that there was an investigation launched against Jerry Harris following allegations that he used his position as a cheerleading coach to lure minors into inappropriate activities.
TMZ reported that Harris pleaded “guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography, and one count of traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.” As his sentencing approaches, it has been stated that the U.S. Attorney’s Office is looking for a 15-year sentence.
The Daily Beast added that under the law, guidelines state that Harris should receive a 50-year sentence, but prosecutors have exercised compassion due to the streaming star’s background.
“Like many child predators, Harris took advantage of a power imbalance to sexually exploit his young victims,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Guzman is said to have written in a court filing. “He preyed on the insecurity and youth of boys in the cheerleading community to abuse them.”
Joshua Herman, Harris’s attorney, also filed court documents where he claimed that his client was sexually abused as a child on multiple occasions.
“These experiences warped Jeremiah’s view of ‘normal’ relationships, especially given how they occurred alongside social media and within the ecosystem of the Cheer community,” wrote Herman.
In addition to the sought-after 15-year sentence, prosecutors alleged requested that Harris undergo 10 years of supervised release following his stint in prison. Harris’s team hopes that he will be locked up for six years with eight years of supervised release.
Harris will reportedly face sentencing next week on June 28.