"Cheer" star Jeremiah "Jerry" Harris has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison after pleading guilty in February to two out of seven sexual abuse and child pornography charges, USA Today reported on July 6. As part of the new plea agreement, the other charges were dropped.
In a statement to People in February, Harris's defense team claimed he decided to plead guilty "because he wishes to take responsibility for his actions and publicly convey his remorse for the harm he has caused the victims in this case." The statement continued, "Jerry is a 22-year-old young man whose story can only be understood though the lens of the extreme poverty, sexual abuse, and neglect of his childhood. Jerry was himself exploited, manipulated, and sexually abused as a child within the cheer community in a way that perversely made him believe that this sexual conduct was somehow normal when it was not.
In a statement to People in February, Harris's defense team claimed he decided to plead guilty "because he wishes to take responsibility for his actions and publicly convey his remorse for the harm he has caused the victims in this case." The statement continued, "Jerry is a 22-year-old young man whose story can only be understood though the lens of the extreme poverty, sexual abuse, and neglect of his childhood. Jerry was himself exploited, manipulated, and sexually abused as a child within the cheer community in a way that perversely made him believe that this sexual conduct was somehow normal when it was not.
- 7/6/2022
- by Grayson Gilcrease
- Popsugar.com
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