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2 more cheerleaders from the Netflix show 'Cheer' have been charged with sexual misconduct with minors

Lauren Edmonds   

2 more cheerleaders from the Netflix show 'Cheer' have been charged with sexual misconduct with minors
  • Robert Joseph Scianna Jr., 25, and Mitchell Ryan, 23, were arrested on Wednesday.
  • Scianna Jr. and Ryan both were charged with felony sexual misconduct charges involving children.
  • Both appeared in Netflix's docuseries "Cheer," as did Jerry Harris.

Two more cheerleaders featured in the Netflix docuseries "Cheer" have been accused of sexual misconduct involving children.

According to USA Today, Robert Joseph Scianna Jr. and Mitchell Ryan were both arrested by authorities on Wednesday. Both men appeared in "Cheer," which focused on the Navarro College cheerleading team's journey to the National Cheerleading Championship.

The arrests come after the explosive fallout for breakout star Jerry Harris, who has pleaded not guilty to child pornography and sex charges.

Read more:'Cheer' star Jerry Harris faces multiple child pornography and sex charges in new 7-count indictment

Scianna, who boasts more than 236,000 followers on Instagram, was arrested on Wednesday in Virginia and taken to the Chesterfield County Jail without bond.

Scianna was charged with felony counts of taking indecent liberties with a child and using an electronic communication device to solicit sex, according to USA Today.

Authorities told the newspaper that the 25-year-old arranged to meet with a boy whom he believed to be 14 years old, but was taken into custody before the meeting.

Authorities added that there appeared to be no connection to cheerleading regarding the meeting. On his website, Scianna claimed to have choreographed 140 routines, hosted more than 300 cheerleading champs, and traveled to more than 13 countries.

"He likely has a lot of possible contact with juveniles, with underage kids," authorities told USA Today.

"Hopefully if there are any more victims out there that, for whatever reason, maybe because of his stature, didn't want to come forward, that they reach out to the police department so we can investigate further," they added.

Scianna did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Read more: 'Cheer' star Jerry Harris has been arrested and charged with production of child pornography following accusations of sexual abuse

Mitchell Ryan, who was a previous member of the Navarro College cheerleading team, was arrested in Dallas, Texas.

Ryan, 23, was charged with felony aggravated sexual assault of a child in connection to an incident that reportedly happened on July 24. Details about the incident were unclear.

Ryan's attorney, Jeremy Rosenthal, told USA Today: "This has been a nightmare for Mitch and his family. We look forward to Dallas County hearing the truth and this case being over."

Insider has reached out to the Chesterfield County Police Department and Dallas County Sheriff's Department for more details.

Cheer fans were shocked when Jerry Harris was arrested in 2020

Harris was arrested outside his Naperville, Illinois, home on September 17. Federal prosecutors alleged in an indictment that Harris "exploited and violated" multiple minors, and sexually assaulted a 15-year-old boy.

Harris pleaded not guilty to all seven counts on December 17 at an arraignment hearing he attended via telephone.

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