'Cheer' star Jerry Harris pleads guilty in child porn case, faces up to 50 years in prison

Former Cheer star Jerry Harris pleaded guilty on Thursday to charges in his federal child pornography case. He faces 5 to 50 years in federal prison. The 22-year-old, who initially pleaded not guilty, reached a plea deal with prosecutors.

Harris faced seven felony charges related to sexual misconduct and pleaded guilty to two of those counts: one count of receipt of child sexual abuse material and one count of traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. The New York Times reports those charges stem from two different incidents. Harris persuaded a 17-year-old to send him sexually explicit photos for money and also traveled to Florida "for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct" with a 15-year-old.

Lawyers for Harris say he wants to "take responsibility for his actions and publicly convey his remorse for the harm he has caused the victims."

Harris was the breakout star of Cheer when the Netflix docuseries premiered in 2020. Before the reality show, he was well known in the cheerleading world. Prosecutors allege Harris used his fame to victimize young boys even after learning he was under investigation. According to a complaint obtained by the Chicago Tribune, he admitted to soliciting and receiving child pornography on Snapchat from "at least between 10 to 15 other individuals he knew were minors."

Harris is accused of receiving and attempting to receive child pornography. He allegedly persuaded minors to engage in sexual contact. The alleged crimes involved victims in Florida, Illinois and Texas between 2017 and 2020.

Cheer returned for a second season last month — without Harris. The series addressed the allegations against their former teammate. Monica Aldama, the show's figurehead coach, told the Times she can "barely talk about" the situation "without crying." 

Harris's sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 28.