Daniel Riggsa former tennis coach in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and the grandson of a former professional tennis player Bobby Riggswas sentenced to 20 years in state prison for having sexual relations with two young women he was training.
Daniel, 33, pleaded guilty to charges of coercing and enticing the women in question to engage in sex, according to a South Florida state media release.
US Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones said in the release. “This defendant abused that trust in the most disturbing way imaginable, using his position to manipulate and sexually exploit the very students he was supposed to be teaching.”
Quiñones continued, “20 years in state prison shows the seriousness of that betrayal. The state of South Florida will continue to pursue the perpetrators who target children and ensure they face the full weight of the law.”
Allegations against Daniel first surfaced in November 2024 when one of the victims came forward. He was arrested in December 2024 when a group of FBI agents arrived at the Lauderdale Tennis Club, where he worked as a tennis coach for Team Riggs. They took him into custody at the scene as the other children and coaches were in court, according to the report South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
“He admitted that he is guilty because he does not want to put the victims in additional or unnecessary difficulties,” the defense attorney said. Russell Williams he told this newspaper when the coach pleaded guilty in November.
Daniel Riggs
Broward Sheriff’s OfficeThe incidents took place between 2020 and 2024, and reportedly included romantic messages and photos that Daniel sent to the victims via SnapChat. CBS News reports that Daniel allegedly tried to hide his identity on the app by using anonymous accounts and asked victims to delete his messages.
A relationship with one of the victims became physical in 2022 during a group trip to Brazil.
UPDATE: 3/4/26 at 2:50 pm ET: A jury found former DeRidder mayor Misty Roberts guilty of sexual knowledge of a child and indecency with a child on Tuesday, March 3. A six-juror panel ruled in Roberts’ case less than an hour after a five-day trial that included two of her testimonies. […]
Williams initially filed a motion to dismiss the charges, arguing that the SnapChat photos were not found, making it difficult to say whether they violated the law. That proposal was later withdrawn.
Daniel will now have to register as a sex offender and, upon his release, will not be able to give tennis lessons to children, The Sun-Sentinel.
His grandfather, Bobby, is best remembered for his defeat Billie Jean King in the famous battle of the sexes in 1973. He died in 1995 at the age of 77.
