FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A South Florida federal judge sentenced the grandson of late tennis legend Bobby Riggs to serve 20 years behind bars after he pleaded guilty to child sex crimes, prosecutors announced on Tuesday afternoon.
Prosecutors said the U.S. District Court judge sentenced Danny Riggs, 33, on Thursday. He was a tennis coach in Fort Lauderdale prior to his December 2024 arrest.
Riggs, whose full name is Daniel James Riggs, was accused of using that position to victimize two girls whom he coached at a tennis center.
According to a federal criminal complaint, Riggs began engaging in sexual conversations with one of the girls through social media. It states that he began teaching her in 2020, when she was 15.
Federal prosecutors had said in a news release after his arrest, regarding one of the girls, that Riggs “sexually abused the minor victim while they traveled internationally, and domestically for tennis training and tournament. The abuse continued locally within the Southern District of Florida.”
Prosecutors said Riggs also requested child sexual abuse material from the victim via Snapchat, and created multiple anonymous profiles in an effort to mask his identity. They said they identified the second victim, a 16-year-old girl, through social media records.
Riggs pleaded guilty to two counts of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity.
Under the terms of his plea deal, Riggs acknowledged that he “will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison,” according to court documents.
Bobby Riggs, who died in 1995 at 77 years old, known for his famous “Battle of the Sexes” match against fellow legend Billie Jean King in 1973. He was once ranked No. 1 in the world and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1967.
Records show Danny Riggs was being held in the Paul Rein Detention Facility, a Broward Sheriff’s Office jail facility in Pompano Beach, on behalf of the U.S. Marshals Service as of Tuesday afternoon.
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