'Cheer' Star Jerry Harris Pleads Guilty in Child Pornography Case
etonline.comJerry Harris pleaded guilty in his child pornography case in a court hearing in Chicago on Thursday. Harris' sentencing is scheduled to take place on June 28.
According to, sentencing guidelines call for up to 50 years in prison, though it will be up to the judge to decide how much time he serves.A statement from Harris' lawyers noted that the star wanted to take responsibility for his actions and «publicly convey his remorse for the harm he has caused the victims in this case.»«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 reads. «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.
There being no safe harbor to discuss his exploitation, Jerry instead masked his trauma and put on the bright face and infectious smile that the world came to know.
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