Former Cheer star Jerry Harris has been sentenced to 12 years in a federal prison.
The ex-cheerleader pleaded guilty to one count each of receiving child pornography and travelling with the intention to engage in illegal sexual conduct back in February.
He had originally pleaded not guilty to seven charges stemming from incidents that happened from August 2017 to August 2020, however he later changed his plea.
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Harris was accused of targeting teenage boys and coercing them into sending them obscene photos of themselves to him.
The investigation into the former cheerleader found that Harris 'threatened to disseminate the videos [the victims] had sent if they refused to continue'.
He was also facing allegations of soliciting sex from minors at cheerleading competitions, according to the ABC.
Prosecutors were hoping to send the Netflix star away for up to 15 years.
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Assistant US Attorney Kelly Guzman explained in a memo that Harris should be sent away to jail for a long time because he abused his power.
The lawyer claimed Harris leveraged 'his status as a competitive cheerleader, his social media persona and eventually his celebrity and money, to persuade and entice his young victims to engage in sexually explicit conduct for him or with him'.
However, Harris' defence team was looking for a sentence of around six years.
They argued that the cheerleader's upbringing affected his decision-making.
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"The trauma he experienced as a child normalised his skewed version of what he understood to be appropriate relationships," the defence wrote.
"No one was there to stand up for him when he was sexually assaulted as a minor.
"He is grateful that is not the case for his victims in this case, to whom he is profoundly remorseful."
While Harris' history was taken into account, prosecutors said it didn't grant the cheerleader a 'blank check to commit sex offences against minors'.
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Once he completes his 12 years in jail, Harris has also been ordered to undergo eight years of court-supervised release.
Featured Image Credit: Netflix. Jerry Harris/Instagram