“Cheer” star Jerry Harris, 21, has been arrested on a federal child pornography charge for allegedly enticing an underage boy to produce sexually explicit videos and photos of himself, Access Hollywood confirms.
According to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, Harris allegedly contacted the underage boy on a social media application repeatedly. The complaint also states that the alleged minor victim informed Harris during their initial online encounter that he was 13 years old.
The charge comes three days after the FBI raided the cheerleader’s home in Naperville, Ill., per USA Today. “The FBI is conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity in the area,” Siobhan Johnson, FBI special agent and public affairs officer, told Access Hollywood on Monday, Sept. 14. Johnson declined further comment at the time.
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The FBI investigation began after allegations were reportedly raised to Varsity, a cheerleading and athletic gear company that also handles cheer competitions and uniform sales.
Reps for Harris told Access, “We categorically dispute the claims made against Jerry Harris, which are alleged to have occurred when he was a teenager. We are confident that when the investigation is completed the true facts will be revealed.” Sources say that the allegations do not include any claims of physical contact and that the allegations date back to when Jerry was a teen.
According to USA Today, Varsity’s chief legal officer, Burton Brillhart, said the company had learned of “inappropriate sexual conduct” allegations against Harris and was reporting the information to authorities as required by law. Brillhart’s letters describe Harris as a former employee, who was not actively working for Varsity at the time of the incidents.
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Production of child pornography is punishable by a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years. The federal investigation remains ongoing.
In May 2019, Harris shared on social media that he had recently taken on a new role, working for the National Cheerleaders Association, a Varsity brand. Harris rose to fame as a member of Texas’ Navarro College cheerleading squad, known for their domination at nationwide cheering competitions. Navarro College’s road to Nationals was documented on Netflix’s popular docuseries “Cheer.”
Harris’ sweet attitude and positivity earned him the love and praise of many celebrities and fans. He joined Oprah Winfrey onstage on her 2020 Vision Tour. Ellen DeGeneres also hired Jerry to be her guest correspondent at the 2020 Oscars.
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