Four months before his arrest for sexual exploitation of youngsters, cheerleader Jerry Harris ditched his cellphone after a good friend informed him he is likely to be beneath investigation, federal prosecutors say. Authorities haven’t named the one who warned Harris, saying solely that it was somebody who owns a gym.
An amended lawsuit filed Monday claims the unnamed good friend is Angela Rogers, co-owner of Cheer Athletics, a distinguished cheerleading firm whose Wildcats staff competed this yr on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.”
The go well with, filed by the household of two Texas brothers who’ve accused Harris of abuse, didn’t present proof for the declare. But a timeline the household beforehand offered to USA TODAY signifies Rogers was one of solely a few individuals who knew about the boys’ allegations in May — which is the month prosecutors say Harris obtained the warning from his good friend. The boys’ mom Kristen mentioned she spoke to Rogers about the allegations as a result of Harris had been an athlete at Cheer Athletics.
In a assertion to USA TODAY, Rogers mentioned: “Cheer Athletics and Angela Rogers categorically deny the allegations made towards them. The amended petition incorporates inaccuracies and is deceptive.”
Rogers went on to refute a number of particular claims contained in the lawsuit, together with that she tried to assist cover or destroy proof. She didn’t explicitly deny that she was the one who had knowledgeable Harris. When USA TODAY pressed Rogers on that time, she reiterated her earlier assertion, typically denying the allegations towards her.
Within days of studying of the allegations, Rogers reported them to a number of regulation enforcement businesses and to the U.S. All Star Federation (USASF), which governs aggressive cheerleading, in response to interviews and information obtained by USA TODAY. Rogers beforehand mentioned Harris had not been affiliated with Cheer Athletics since March 1.
Harris, 21, is being held in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago whereas his prison case is pending. If convicted, he faces as much as 30 years in jail.
Harris rose to fame when he was featured in Netflix’s “Cheer” docuseries. Prosecutors say Harris admitted final month to soliciting nude images or intercourse from between 5 to 10 youngsters, to having intercourse with a 15-year-old boy in the rest room at a cheerleading competitors and to paying minors greater than $1,000 for express images.
Harris’ lawyer, Todd Pugh, didn’t reply to a request for remark.
The FBI started investigating Harris earlier this yr after being contacted by Kristen, whose 15-year-old twin sons accused Harris of abuse. The boys, whose accounts have been first revealed by USA TODAY in September as half of a broader investigation into misconduct in cheerleading, mentioned they have been harassed by Harris each on-line and at cheer competitions for greater than a yr, beginning once they have been 13 and Harris was 19.
Cheerleading has a record of folks banned: It was lacking 74 convicted intercourse offenders
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The household’s civil lawsuit, which was amended Monday, had initially been filed in September towards Harris, Cheer Athletics, Varsity and USASF, court docket information present. In it, the household accuses Harris of sexual misconduct and the cheer organizations of negligence and failures to guard the boys from abuse.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Parente, in a court docket movement filed final week making his case for conserving Harris behind bars, mentioned a good friend contacted Harris about a potential investigation. Parente didn’t present the court docket with the title of the good friend or say why that particular person “tipped off” Harris. He mentioned Harris informed authorities he acquired rid of his cellphone as a result of he knew it contained proof of his crimes. The prosecutor mentioned that even after being warned in May, Harris bought a new cellphone and stored preying on children.
Rogers and Cheer Athletics continued to publicly assist Harris in the months after Rogers discovered Harris was accused of sexual misconduct.
Two weeks after she grew to become conscious of the allegations, Rogers responded to a tweet from Harris encouraging folks to vote in the presidential election. “Love this and also you!” Rogers tweeted May 30.
“I like you a lot coach Angela!” Harris replied.
In July, when “Cheer” was nominated for six Emmy awards, Cheer Athletics posted a picture of a beaming Harris on its Instagram account with the caption, “Our temper after listening to that our pals from @navarro_college_cheer obtained 6 EMMY nominations this morning.”
Marisa Kwiatkowski and Tricia L. Nadolny are reporters on USA TODAY’s nationwide investigative staff. Marisa may be reached at mkwiatko@usatoday.com, @IndyMarisaK or by cellphone, Signal or WhatsApp at (317) 207-2855. Tricia may be reached tnadolny@usatoday.com or @TriciaNadolny.
This article initially appeared on USA TODAY: Jerry Harris of ‘Cheer’ warned by ‘AGT’ staff’s owner, go well with says
