Jerry Harris has little to cheer about these days.
The Cheer star has been charged federally with producing child pornography after allegedly enticing an underage boy to make sexually explicit videos and photos of himself, this according to a complaint released by the US Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Illinois. The 21-year-old was arrested Thursday morning and is set to make his first court appearance later in the day.
The complaint alleges Harris contacted an underage boy on social media and repeatedly encouraged him to produce sexually explicit videos and pictures of himself and send them to Harris. The victim allegedly told Harris when they first started chatting that he was 13-years old.
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Additionally, it appears the teen victim in the criminal case is one of the two victims from a civil case involving Harris. As we reported, the mother of twin boys in Texas filed a lawsuit against Harris and three cheer organizers for alleged sex crimes. The attorneys for the boys’ mother said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter:
“We are grateful that the U.S. Attorney and the FBI have taken swift action to protect children by investigating, arresting and charging Jerry Harris. This was made possible because our clients’ mother had the courage to report Harris to the FBI as well as the Fort Worth Police Department 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.”
The alleged victims, 14-year-old cheerleaders Charlie and Sam, as well as their mom Kristen, previously spoke with USA Today about their unsettling experience with the Illinois native.
Recalling how his online chats with the Navarro Cheer alum turned predatory, Charlie said:
“Jerry would send me photos and videos of himself. Obviously, nude pictures of himself and say all of things he wants to do me and stuff like that. If I didn’t comply with it or do it, he’d be like, ‘I’ll block you or unadd you.’ I don’t like when people are mad at me so I was trying to please him.”
The FBI had been investigating the allegations, according to USA Today, with agents reportedly executing a search warrant Monday afternoon at a home in Naperville, Illinois.
Production of child porn is punishable by a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years.
[Image via Jerry Harris/Instagram]
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