‘Cheer’ Star Jerry Harris Hit With 7 New Criminal Charges in Child Porn, Sexual Exploitation Case
“Cheer” star Jeremiah “Jerry” Harris has been hit with seven new criminal charges in the U.S. Attorney’s ongoing child pornography and sexual exploitation case against him.
The indictment, filed in U.S. District Court in Illinois on Thursday, includes seven new charges involving five underage victims from Illinois, Texas and Florida. Harris is accused of soliciting sexually explicit material from his victims and, in May 2019, having traveled from Texas to Florida “for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct” with a 15-year-old.
The new charges are in line with a previous filing in the case, in which prosecutors said Harris admitted to targeting as many as 10 underage boys online and sexually assaulting a child in a public bathroom at a cheer event.
Also Read: 'Cheer' Star Jerry Harris Denied Bond, Will Remain in Custody Pending Trial
Harris, who rose to national prominence on the Netflix docuseries “Cheer,” was arrested by the FBI back in September after a pair of twin brothers accused him of sending one of them sexually explicit messages and requesting nude images over social media starting when they were 13 years old. (Harris also faces a separate civil lawsuit filed on behalf of the two boys earlier this year.)
The lawyers representing the two boys — Morgan Stewart and Sarah Klein of Manly, Stewart & Finaldi — released a statement on Friday in support of the new charges.
“We are grateful that the U.S. Attorney and the FBI have continued to investigate this case, locate additional victims and take action,” they said. “This was made possible because our clients’ mother 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 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.”
Harris’ attorney did not immediately return TheWrap’s request for comment.
Also Read: 'Cheer' Star Jerry Harris Admitted to Sexually Assaulting 15-Year-Old Boy, Authorities Say
In their previous request that Harris be denied release pending trial, prosecutors said the former star cheerleader “exhibits all the signs of a serial child predator” who used “guilt, threats and money” to persuade young boys to engage in sexually explicit activity on camera. The document described his behavior as a “habitual, persistent, obsessive course of conduct.”
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