Naperville resident and “Cheer” star Jerry Harris is facing accusations of sexual misconduct after being named in a sexual exploitation lawsuit.
According to Attorney John Manly, two children have filed a federal lawsuit against Harris and the United States All-Star Federation, a cheerleading organization, saying that Harris “tried to engage” the boys in sex.
“My clients’ mother found inappropriate texts from Mr. Harris on the child’s phone, involving sex,” Manly said. “The boys admitted he was trying to get them to engage in sexu.”
Harris became popular on the Netflix show “Cheer,” a docu-series about the world of competitive cheerleading. Manly says Harris met his clients through the world of cheerleading.
According to Manly, the FBI executed a search warrant at Harris’ Naperville home on Monday, but the bureau was unable to confirm the existence of a criminal probe.
“(The FBI) was conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity in Naperville yesterday. Department of Justice policy prevents the FBI from commenting on the existence or nonexistence of any investigations that may be occurring,” the bureau said.
Harris’ attorney issued a statement denying the allegations.
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“(We) categorically dispute the claims made against Jerry Harris, which are alleged to have occurred when he was a teenager,” the attorney said. “We are confident that when the investigation is completed, the true facts will be revealed.”
Manly says that Harris was legally an adult when the alleged texts occurred.
“He was an adult during this, and took advantage of these children,” he said. “Frankly, it is my clients’ hope that he goes to jail for what he did.”
