A federal judge on Wednesday sentenced former Netflix documentary Jerry Harris be happyArrested for 12 years for forcing teenagers to send indecent photos and videos and for soliciting sex from minors in cheerleading competitions.
US District Judge Manish Shah also ordered that eight years of the sentence be served under court supervision.
Shah told Harris that he saw the sentence as “an expression of the gravity of your crime, with some hope that all is not lost for you or your victim, and that there may be a cure in the future.”
Harris, 22, from suburban Naperville, pleaded guilty earlier this year to traveling with the intent to obtain child pornography and illegal sexual conduct.
Prosecutors asked for 15 years in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised probation, while Harris’ lawyers asked for six years and eight years of supervised probation.
Before hearing the verdict, Harris apologized to the victim, saying, “I am deeply sorry for all the trauma my abuse has caused you. I deeply pray that your suffering ends.”
“I’m not a bad person,” Harris said. “I’m still learning who I am and what my purpose is.”
Harris was being held in a federal detention center.
Sarah Klein, attorney for the two victims, released a statement saying Harris’ guilt was “strongly established”.
“The sentence he received reflects the gravity of his crime and the pain his victims are going through,” Klein said.
Harris was arrested in September 2020 on charges of producing child pornography. Prosecutors claimed he requested videos and photos of two 14-year-old brothers.
According to the complaint, federal prosecutors said Harris admitted to repeatedly soliciting pornographic videos and images from the child between December 2018 and March 2020.
Then, in December of that year, he was charged with misconduct in Illinois, Florida, and Texas. According to the indictment, Harris allegedly solicited sex from minors in cheerleading competitions and convinced teenagers to submit lewd photos and videos.
Harris admitted to FBI agents that he asked the teenager to send him indecent photos of himself and solicited child pornography on Snapchat from at least 10 to 15 people he knew were minors.
be happy It was a big hit when it was released in January 2020 and Harris became very popular for his upbeat and encouraging attitude to “talk to them”. Harris even interviewed celebrities on the Oscars red carpet. The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
The documentary series follows competitive cheerleaders from Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
