Jeremiah “Jerry” Harris, a star of the Netflix documentary series Cheer, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for child sex abuse.
In February, he pleaded guilty to charges of child pornography and crossing state lines with the intent of having sex with a child.
He was also sentenced to eight years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
Harris admitted to exchanging lewd photos with 10-15 underage children in three states.
Because of his celebrity, Harris was invited to the Academy Awards as a guest of TV host Ellen DeGeneres, where he interviewed celebrities on the red carpet.
The investigation was sparked by a complaint from a Texas mother who claimed Harris abused her twin sons.
The boys described the abuse they experienced at cheerleading competitions in a later season of Cheer.
According to USA Today, the boys, who are now 16 years old, attended the sentencing hearing in Chicago. They each made statements about the long-term consequences of Harris’ crimes.
Harris’ lawyers stated at the time of his guilty plea that he wanted to “take responsibility for his actions and publicly express his remorse for the harm he has caused the victims.”
They requested that he serve no more than six years in prison, claiming that his childhood abuse “warped” his understanding of relationships.
Prosecutors had asked for 15 years in prison, claiming that his past trauma was “not a blank check to commit sex crimes against minors.”
