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Harris was arrested in September 2020 and
initially pleaded not guilty on seven counts but on Thursday
changed two of them as part of a plea agreement.
The deal states that after sentencing of the two counts,
prosecutors would call for the other charges to be dropped, the
New York Times reported federal Judge Manish S. Shah as saying
at a hearing.
Harris admits to repeatedly requesting a minor take sexually
explicit photographs and videos of himself in exchange for money
and that he traveled from Texas to Florida to engage in sexual
acts with a 15-year old, the document said.
"Harris sexually assaulted Minor 5," the plea agreement said.
The 22-year old Harris was a breakout star of "Cheer," a reality
TV series which tracks a competitive cheerleading squad from
Navarro College in Texas as they aim to win a national title.
Harris faces a total sentence for the two counts of up to 50
years in prison.
"Jerry's... story can only be understood though the lens of the
extreme poverty, sexual abuse, and neglect of his childhood,"
his attorneys said in a statement.
"With his plea of guilty, Jerry will spend the rest of his life
making amends for what he has done."
(Reporting by Costas Pitas, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
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