The grandson of tennis legend Bobby Riggs was sentenced to 20 years behind bars for sexually abusing two women he was educating while he labored as a coach in Florida.
Daniel James Riggs, 33, was handed a 240-month federal jail stint after he pleaded responsible to coercing and attractive two minors to have interaction in sexual exercise, the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida announced Tuesday.
Riggs, who labored as a coach for “Team Riggs” at a Fort Lauderdale tennis heart, was following his grandfather’s esteemed profession before his arrest.
Daniel James Riggs, 33, was handed a 240-month federal jail stint after he pleaded responsible to coercing and attractive two minors to have interaction in sexual exercise. Broward Sheriff’s Office
The elder Riggs, finest recognized for competing against Billie Jean King in the “Battle of the Sexes” match, was a three-time Grand Slam champion and former world quantity one.
He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1967 and died in 1995 at the age of 77.
Daniel Riggs is the son of Bobby Riggs’ eldest baby, Larry.
The youthful Riggs, who goes by Danny, had dedicated his disturbing abuse between 2021 and late 2024, after assembly the two women at the tennis heart.
He met his first sufferer, a 15-year-old lady, in 2020. Prosecutors recognized the second sufferer as a 16-year-old lady through her social media accounts, WPLG reported.
Bobby Riggs returns a shot to Billie Jean King during the Battle of the Sexes Challenge Match at the Astrodome on Sept. 20, 1973. Focus on Sport via Getty Images
Riggs had created a number of accounts on Snapchat to masks his id while speaking with his victims, participating in “sexually explicit” conversations, the DOJ said.
During the time, Riggs sexually abused at least one of the unidentified women during tournaments around the nation and during worldwide journeys, including in the southern district of Florida.
Riggs had also requested his victims to ship “child sexual abuse material (CSAM)” to him over social media, utilizing one of his faux profiles.
Officials linked Riggs to the social media accounts through subscriber and billing information.
Bobby Riggs flexes to intimidate Billie Jean King. Bettmann Archive
Bobby Riggs during the Battle of the Sexes in Houston, Texas. Sports Illustrated via Getty Images
The tennis menace was arrested by the US Marshals Service on Dec. 17, 2024.
“Children and parents trust coaches with more than athletic instruction. They trust them with safety, guidance, and character,” said US Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida said. “This defendant abused that trust in the most disturbing way imaginable, using his position to groom and sexually exploit the very students he was supposed to mentor.”
As half of his responsible plea, Riggs will have to register as a intercourse offender after his launch from jail, WPLG reported.
He is presently listed as being held at the Paul Rein Detention Facility in Pompano, Florida.
It was not revealed which federal jail he will serve his 20-year sentence.
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