Jerry Harris, one of the stars of the
Netflix cheerleading documentary series Cheer, has been arrested and charged with producing child sex images.
The 21-year-old allegedly enticed an underage boy to produce sexually explicit videos and photographs of himself, the US attorney’s office said.
According to court records, Mr Harris admitted to
FBI agents to soliciting and receiving explicit images from one of the minors and “at least between 10 to 15 other individuals he knew were minors”.If convicted on the federal child pornography charge, Harris faces up to 30 years in
prison.
A spokesperson for the star has denied the allegations.
FBI agents were photographed on Monday leaving a home they had raided in the
Chicago suburb of Naperville, which
USA Today reported was Harris’ home.His arrest comes three days after twin boys filed a lawsuit accusing Harris of
Sexual Misconduct. The lawsuit also alleges that cheer organisations failed to protect the boys.
Officials say investigations are ongoing and have called for anyone with more information to come forward.
Harris was the breakout star of Cheer, gaining fans for his upbeat attitude and his encouraging “mat talk”.
The show, which followed the cheerleading team from Navarro College in Corsicana,
Texas, as it sought a national title, was an instant success when it was released in January and went on to win two Emmy awards.
Earlier this year, Harris interviewed celebrities on the red carpet at the
Academy Awards for The
Ellen DeGeneres Show.Childline - free and confidential support for young people in the
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