Crime and Courts

Florida tennis coach, Bobby Riggs' grandson, arrested in child sex abuse case

Daniel James Riggs was arrested Tuesday on charges of enticement of a minor and production of child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida.

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A Florida tennis coach who's the grandson of tennis legend Bobby Riggs has been arrested on federal child sex abuse charges, authorities said.

Daniel James Riggs was arrested Tuesday on charges of enticement of a minor and production of child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida.

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Riggs, 31, is the grandson of Bobby Riggs, the former No. 1 men's player in the world an member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame who died in 1995.

Daniel Riggs
Broward Sheriff's Office
Daniel Riggs

According to court records, the allegations against Daniel Riggs surfaced in September, when the alleged victim came forward.

The teen said Riggs became her coach in or around 2020, when she was 15, but their sexual relationship started around October 2021, an affidavit said.

Authorities said Riggs, while a tennis coach for the teen, engaged in sexual conversations with her through a social media application.

He is also alleged to have sexually abused the minor victim while they traveled internationally, and domestically, for tennis training and tournaments, including in South Florida.

Riggs also allegedly requested sexual photos or videos from the teen through social media, prosecutors said.

Riggs created multiple anonymous profiles and at times advised the minor victim to delete their communications to mask his identity, authorities said.

A board member at the Lauderdale Tennis Club confirmed the FBI was there Tuesday morning and Riggs was taken off the tennis courts.

Riggs was booked into a Broward jail, where records showed he remained on a U.S. Marshals hold Wednesday.

An attorney for Riggs had no comment on the arrest.

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