Jerry Harris, one of the breakout stars of Netflix's Cheer docuseries, is under investigation by the FBI for allegedly soliciting sex and inappropriate photos from minors. Harris has not been formally charged, and denied the claims.
The news was first reported by USA Today, who detailed that the criminal investigation was based on allegations from two 14-year-old twin brothers. They claimed that Harris, now 21, solicited sex and explicit photos from them when they were 13 and he was 19, and aggressively pursued them sexually for a year.
Varsity Brands, the cheerleading company at the centre of Cheer, claim that they've "barred this person from having any affiliation with Varsity Brands or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates, now and in the future" following the controversy.
In a statement released to Us Weekly from Harris's spokesperson, the allegations were denied. "We categorically dispute the claims made against Jerry Harris, which are alleged to have occurred when he was a teenager.... We are confident that when the investigation is completed the true facts will be revealed."
One of the brothers had said to USA Today, "I would not be putting myself out there and doing all this stuff and literally losing my friends about this for no reason. It is not normal. Jerry is just an example of how you can see someone as one way, but they're truly a different person."
The news was first reported by USA Today, who detailed that the criminal investigation was based on allegations from two 14-year-old twin brothers. They claimed that Harris, now 21, solicited sex and explicit photos from them when they were 13 and he was 19, and aggressively pursued them sexually for a year.
Varsity Brands, the cheerleading company at the centre of Cheer, claim that they've "barred this person from having any affiliation with Varsity Brands or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates, now and in the future" following the controversy.
In a statement released to Us Weekly from Harris's spokesperson, the allegations were denied. "We categorically dispute the claims made against Jerry Harris, which are alleged to have occurred when he was a teenager.... We are confident that when the investigation is completed the true facts will be revealed."
One of the brothers had said to USA Today, "I would not be putting myself out there and doing all this stuff and literally losing my friends about this for no reason. It is not normal. Jerry is just an example of how you can see someone as one way, but they're truly a different person."
