Cheer Star Jerry Harris Under FBI Investigation for Allegedly Soliciting Sex From Minors

https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/investigations/2020/09/14/jerry-harris-cheerleader-netflix-cheer-fbi-investigation-search-warrant-alleged-sexual-misconduct/5741805002/

A star of Netflixโ€™s hit cheerleading docuseries Cheer is reportedly under investigation by the FBI.

Jerry Harris, a college cheerleader who starred on the docuseries, is currently being investigated for allegedly soliciting sex and sexually explicit photos from minors.

FBI agents searched Harrisโ€™ home in Naperville, Illinois this afternoon as part of their ongoing investigation.

โ€œThe FBI is conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity in the area,โ€ Siobhan Johnson, FBI special agent and public affairs officer, told the outlet, but would not provide further details.

USA Today reports:

The criminal investigation is based on allegations that were reported separately to police by Varsity, a private company that dominates the cheerleading industry and handles everything from uniform sales to major competitions. In Aug. 1 letters to police in Florida and Texas, Varsityโ€™s chief legal officer, Burton Brillhart, said the company learned of โ€œinappropriate sexual conductโ€ allegations against Harris and reported the information to authorities as required by law.

โ€œAs a result of the recent allegation, we have barred this person from having any affiliation with Varsity Brands or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates, now and in the future,โ€ he wrote.

Brillhart included two screenshots in his communication with law enforcement. In one โ€“ a Snapchat message โ€“ a picture of the upper part of what appears to be Harrisโ€™ face is labeled with the message, โ€œWould you ever want to fuckโ€. The other screenshot โ€“ which is a series of text messages โ€“ indicates an exchange that began on Friday, May 3, 2019, when an individual named โ€œjerry harrisโ€ wrote, โ€œHey btw I found a place for us to do stuff itโ€™s actually pretty good haha.โ€