“Cheer” star Jerry Harris has pleaded not guilty to federal child pornography charges and allegations that he solicited sex from minors at cheerleading competitions and convinced teenage boys to send him obscene photographs and videos of themselves.
Harris, 21, of Naperville, was indicted earlier this month in a seven-count indictment that included the child sex, porn and other allegations. A complaint filed in September initially charged him with child pornography.
In the original complaint, prosecutors said Harris admitted to FBI agents that he asked a teenage boy to send him lewd photographs of himself, but that he requested child pornography from at least 10 to 15 others he knew to be minors via Snapchat.
Two of Harris’ alleged victims, who are teenage brothers, have sued Harris in Texas.
Harris entered his not guilty plea to all seven of the counts on Dec. 17 during an arraignment hearing held by a telephone, court records show.
The Associated Press on Wednesday left a message seeking comment from Harris’ Chicago attorney, Todd Pugh.
Harris remains held without bond at a federal detention facility in Chicago. He has been held there since his September arrest on child pornography charges.
Harris, who was born in the Chicago suburb of Hinsdale and raised in nearby Bolingbrook, was the breakout star of the Emmy-winning docuseries that follows the cheerleading team from Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas.
“Cheer” was an instant success when it was released in January, and Harris drew fans for his upbeat attitude and his encouraging “mat talk.” Earlier this year, he interviewed celebrities on the red carpet at the Academy Awards for “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”
