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

• "Cheer" star Jerry Harris is facing seven new counts, including persuading a minor "to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct," according to the indictment filed on Thursday.
• Federal prosecutors claimed Harris "victimized" at least five to 10 minors and sexually assaulted a 15-year-old boy in a public restroom, according to court documents filed in October.
• In documents filed in October by Harris' lawyers, they asked for Harris to be released as he awaits trial. Justice Heather McShane, the federal judge in Chicago presiding over Harris' case, didn't immediately issue a ruling then on whether to keep him in jail.

"Cheer" star Jerry Harris is facing several new charges, including persuading a minor to "to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct," according to a seven-count indictment filed on Thursday in the US District Court in the Northern District of Illinois.

The indictment, which CNN reported was made public Friday afternoon, the charges are for alleged interactions with four minors between August 2017 and August of this year across Illinois, Florida, and Texas.

Harris, who became known for starring in the Netflix series about a community college cheerleading squad in Corsicana, Texas, was arrested in September charged in federal court with one count of producing child pornography.

In October, federal prosecutors alleged that Harris "exploited and violated" at least five to 10 minors and sexually assaulted a 15-year-old boy, according to court documents from the US Attorney's Office.

Prosecutors filed a motion in October to keep Harris jailed until his case goes to trial, and the documents detailed the sexual assault allegations against the 21-year old, who was arrested and charged last month with producing child pornography. Federal prosecutors alleged that Harris admitted he reached out to young boys online to coerce them to "engage in sexually explicit activity."

"Harris, by his own admission, has victimized at least 5 to 10 children who are all forever damaged by his criminal conduct," the documents, from US Attorney John Lausch, read. "Harris must not be allowed to harm another child and he should be detained pending trial as he is a clear and present danger to the community, most notably defenseless children."

The US Attorney's Office accused Harris of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old after Harris "followed him into the bathroom and sodomized the boy," though it was unclear whether that alleged victim was among the group of young people who prosecutors said Harris admitted to abusing.

Harris' attorney Todd Pugh did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment on Saturday.

Harris' lawyers filed court documents Wednesday asking that he be released as he awaits trial, saying the "nature and circumstances of the offense" is not "persuasive enough to merit" his detention.

"It is important to recognize, however, that Mr. Harris had barely reached the age of majority when the purported criminal conduct occurred," said Harris' lawyer Pugh in October.

In his motion for release, Pugh also asked the court to consider the "weight of the evidence" against his client and his "history and characteristics," emphasizing Harris' need for mental health treatment for past experiences, according to court documents in October.

Pugh's motion noted that Harris lost his single mother to lung cancer, found himself homeless after the motel he was living at with his family closed down, and was "relentlessly ridiculed, mocked, and bullied" in high school.

Harris' defense outlined conditions for his release, using Harris' townhome that he owns as collateral and saying that Harris' guardian and other parents from the "cheer community" are willing to serve as "third-party custodians" upon his release.

Justice Heather McShane, the federal judge in Chicago presiding over Harris' case, declined in October to issue a ruling on whether to keep him in jail or to issue bail.