Feds seek 15-year prison term for former "Cheer" star Jerry Harris in sex crimes case

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Federal prosecutors in Chicago are asking a judge to sentence former "Cheer" star Jerry Harris to 15 years in prison for sex crime charges, while defense attorneys are seeking a 6-year sentence.

Harris pleaded guilty in February to charges of child pornography and traveling for illicit sex with minors, involving multiple victims.

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. He faces a maximum sentence of up to 50 years in prison if sentenced to consecutive terms.

In calling for a 15-year prison sentence for Harris, followed by 10 years of supervised release – the federal equivalent of probation – federal prosecutors argued Harris "used what he had at his disposal - his status as a competitive cheerleader, his social media persona, and eventually his celebrity and money, to persuade and entice his young victims to engage in sexually explicit conduct for him or with him."

"Like many child predators, Jeremiah Harris took advantage of a power imbalance to sexually exploit his young victims," federal prosecutors wrote in their sentencing recommendation. "He preyed on the insecurity and youth of boys in the cheerleading community to abuse them. Harris was persistent in attempts to induce victims to produce and send him child pornography, and to meet him to engage in sex acts at cheer events."

But in seeking a much more lenient 6-year prison sentence, followed by 8 years of supervised release, Harris' defense team described him as "both victimizer and victim," saying he was sexually assaulted himself when he was a child.

"To accept the narrative that this case is just another example of a bad actor abusing his public status to prey on others would be both natural and easy. But such a simplistic, soundbite narrative would do an injustice to the difficult facts of the case that we must collectively confront," defense attorneys wrote.  "The trauma he experienced as a child normalized his skewed version of what he understood to be appropriate relationships. No one was there to stand up for him when he was sexually assaulted as a minor. He is grateful that is not the case for his victims in this case, to whom he is profoundly remorseful."

Federal prosecutors also acknowledged Harris' own traumatic childhood was a mitigating factor in his crimes, but said "while Harris's childhood was very difficult, it was not a blank check to commit sex offenses against minors."

In 2020, breakout star Harris – who is from Naperville – was indicted on charges of child pornography and soliciting minors for sex. The investigation led to a search of his Illinois home - sparked by a Texas mother named Kristen, whose sons are two of his alleged victims.

In Episode 5 of the new season of the show that was released in January, titled "Jerry," Kristen's boys laid out the abuse that they say came through messaging.

"I told him that I was 13, and then after that - right off the bat - he asked me, 'Can I have butt pics?' or 'Can you send butt pics?'" one of the boys says.

Those complaints were at the center of federal prosecutors' initial case against Harris.

According to those charges, Harris contacted the twin underage boys on social media apps, and repeatedly asked them to produce sexually explicit videos and photographs of themselves and send them to Harris. One of the boys agreed to send Harris naked pictures and videos of himself, but the other declined.

The boy who did send the images informed Harris during their initial online encounter that he was 13 years old, a federal complaint states.

Federal agents were tipped off by the mother of the victims, who found pornographic images and text messages with Harris on one of their phones. The boy told the mom that Harris had asked for the photos. The boy said he had sent more than a dozen photos of his genitals to Harris, and Harris had sent similar images of himself to the boy, the complaint alleges.

Court documents showed a text exchange where prosecutors said Harris messaged the boy and asked for photos, including "booty" pics.

Prosecutors also showed a young boy doing a cheerleading position known as "the needle." They said a Snapchat account using Harris' name asked the child to do it naked and take a video to show him.

In an interview with investigators, Harris admitted asking for the photos via Snapchat between December 2018 and March 2020, the complaint states. The child is a competitive cheerleader who also met Harris at a cheer event, where Harris asked for oral sex, according the complaint. The boy refused.

The charges also accuse Harris of sending text messages to both boys, soliciting them for sex, but the boys declined.

Since then, four more alleged victims were added - and more charges, stemming from Naperville, Texas, and Orlando.

Investigators said Harris admitted asking for and receiving explicit images from 10 to 14 kids he knew were minors - well after he himself was 18.

Harris' sentencing hearing is set for July 6.