FBI looking for ‘potential additional’ Jerry Harris victims: report
The 'Cheer' star remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago.
The FBI is seeking the public’s help in building its case against Jerry Harris.
The 21 year old Cheer star was arrested last week and charged with production of child pornography, soliciting pornographic videos and images of minors and soliciting sex from a minor, theGRIO previously reported.
Harris, born Jeremiah Harris, came to fame on the Netflix docuseries about competitive cheerleading. He was taken into custody last week in Chicago, CNN reports. The alleged victim is a 13-year-old boy.
The feds have launched a “Seeking Victim Information” webpage, calling on any underage individuals who were victimized by Harris to come forward, TMZ reports.
Read More: ‘Cheer’ star Jerry Harris charged with production of child porn
The breakout star was sued last week in Texas for sexual exploitation by two alleged victims who were 13 and 14. They claim Harris “exploited his popularity and position of fame with young male cheer athletes” during the distribution of Cheer and was aware of their ages. The lawsuit also contends that Harris sent “sexually explicit photos and videos of himself to Plaintiffs,” via Snapchat or Instagram.
Harris initially denied the accusations in a statement made through a spokesperson.
“We categorically dispute the claims made against Jerry Harris, which are alleged to have occurred when he was a teenager,” the statement read. “We are confident that when the investigation is completed the true facts will be revealed.”
Read More: ‘Cheer’ star Jerry Harris allegedly solicited minors for sex, under FBI investigation
However, according to the official complaint, Harris admitted that he did solicit inappropriate images from at least 10 to 15 minors. The FBI’s investigation is now focused on finding his other alleged victims.
In a post on Twitter, the agency wrote, “seeking to identify potential additional victims (under age 18) who were asked by Jeremiah “Jerry” Harris to produce/view sexually graphic videos/photos or engage in sexual conduct.”
As theGrio reported, the allegations against Harris were brought to light this past summer after authorities were notified about inappropriate communications between Harris and minors.
The lawsuit that he is at the center of in Texas accuses him of “sexual harassment, exploitation, manipulation, intimidation and sexual abuse.”
Harris remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago.
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