Cheer star Jerry Harris pleads guilty in US to child abuse image charges

The star of hit Netflix series Cheer has pleaded guilty to federal charges of receiving child abuse images and soliciting sex from minors.

Jerry Harris pleaded guilty to one count of travelling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct and one count of receiving child abuse images, a US attorney’s office spokesman said.

His pleas were entered during a plea hearing in a US federal court in Chicago on Thursday.

The 22 year-old pleaded guilty to two of seven counts against him including persuading a 17 year-old to send him sexually explicit photographs for money.

The other count stemmed from a trip he took to Florida for the purpose of “engaging in illicit sexual conduct” with a 15-year-old.

US prosecutors agreed to drop the remaining five counts under a plea agreement.

Harris was the breakout star of Cheer, which follows a cheerleading team from Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas, as it sought a national title.

A US child abuse image charge carries a sentence ranging from five to 20 years and the second charge carries a maximum sentence of 30 years.

Harris remains in custody at a federal detention facility.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 28.

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