A star of Netflix’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 Harris’ home in Naperville, Illinois this afternoon as part of their ongoing investigation.
“The FBI is conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity in the area,” 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, Varsity’s chief legal officer, Burton Brillhart, said the company learned of “inappropriate sexual conduct” allegations against Harris and reported the information to authorities as required by law.
“As 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,” he wrote.
Brillhart included two screenshots in his communication with law enforcement. In one – a Snapchat message – a picture of the upper part of what appears to be Harris’ face is labeled with the message, “Would you ever want to fuck”. The other screenshot – which is a series of text messages – indicates an exchange that began on Friday, May 3, 2019, when an individual named “jerry harris” wrote, “Hey btw I found a place for us to do stuff it’s actually pretty good haha.”
