Two animators of the Netflix series Cheer have been arrested in different criminal cases related to alleged sexual offenses of minors, months after one of the stars of the program was accused of child pornography.
Robert Joseph Scianna Jr., a 25-year-old coach and choreographer, was arrested Wednesday in Virginia and charged with felony counts of taking indecent liberties with a child and using an electronic communication device to solicit sex.
The Chesterfield County Police Department said it agreed to meet a 14-year-old boy she met through a social media platform for sex. He was arrested before this meeting took place.
Meanwhile, Mitchell Ryan, a member of the Navarro College animation team who also appeared in Cheer, was arrested the same day in Texas. Ryan, 23, was charged with aggravated sexual assault against a child related to an incident that allegedly occurred in July according to USA Today, citing records from the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department.
Robert Joseph Scianna Jr., 25, and Mitchell Ryan, 23, were arrested Wednesday in separate criminal cases related to alleged sexual offenses of minors
Scianna, 25, appeared briefly on Netflix’s Cheer. It was shown in the fourth episode
Scianna is briefly seen in the fourth episode with Gabi Butler
The Chesterfield County Police Department said Scianna arranged the meeting with a 14-year-old boy she met through a social media platform for sex. He was arrested before meeting him
Scianna is a 25-year-old coach and choreographer with a large international fan base
Scianna was charged with felony counts of taking indecent liberties with a child and using an electronic communication device to solicit sex
“This has been a nightmare for Mitch and his family,” Ryan’s lawyer Jeremy Rosenthal said.
“We hope Dallas County knows the truth and this case is over.” Rosenthal declined to comment further.
Netflix declined to comment on the arrests, but referred to a previous statement made after star Jerry Harris was arrested for child pornography and more charges: “Like everyone, we are surprised by this news. Any child abuse is a terrible crime and we respect the legal process. ”
In December, Cheer star partner Jerry Harris pleaded not guilty to numerous criminal charges, three months after he was arrested and charged with producing child pornography.
In December, Harris, who was already facing federal charges of child pornography, was charged with new charges involving allegedly soliciting sex from minors in cheerleading contests and convincing teenage boys to send him photographs and obscene videos.
The new indictment of seven charges that was made public in December was not unexpected.
In the original complaint filed in September, prosecutors not only alleged that Harris admitted to FBI agents that he had asked a teenager to send him obscure photographs, but also solicited child pornography from Snapchat. ‘at least 10 to 15 people I knew. be minors.
Harris, 21, of Naperville, Illinois, has been detained in a federal detention center without bail since he was arrested in September, and a judge later suggested Harris would pose a public danger if released.
According to the allegations, he convinced the teenage boys to send him sexually explicit photos and videos
Lawyers for two of Harris ‘alleged victims, teenage brothers who have sued Harris in Texas, praised the authorities’ willingness to continue “locating the victims and taking action.”
“This was possible because the mother of our clients initially had the courage to report Harris to the FBI and provided probative evidence of the manipulation, sexual harassment, abuse and exploitation her children had suffered,” the attorneys’ statement said. Morgan Stewart and Sarah Klein read.
Harris, who was born in the Chicago suburb of Hinsdale, and grew up in Bolingbrook, was the star of the Emmy-winning docuseries following the cheerleading team at Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas.
Cheer was an instant hit when it launched in January 2020.
Harris attracted fans for his upbeat attitude and encouraging “matte speech.”