Keith Ryan Schaper (Maricopa County)
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - A 35-year-old Scottsdale man accused of engaging in dozens of sexual encounters with a 15-year-old girl he met online when she was 13 had his bond set at $250,000 cash-only during a court appearance Friday.
What we know:
Keith Ryan Schaper faces 20 felony charges related to sexually exploiting and giving meth to a child, plus unlawful age misrepresentation. According to police and court records, Schaper lied about his age, ultimately passing himself off as young as 17 to the victim's family.
Timeline:
The case began on Wednesday when the girl’s grandmother contacted Scottsdale police. The victim told investigators she first connected with Schaper at age 13 after a friend shared a phone number she believed belonged to another girl. Schaper quickly revealed he was a man but lied about his age. They reportedly exchanged nude photos, including images the victim sent when she was 13.
Contact resumed in February 2026. From then until early July, the girl says she sneaked out repeatedly to meet Schaper, who picked her up in his gray Jeep Cherokee. Police say they had sex more than 50 times at two Scottsdale apartments.
Schaper admitted recording some encounters early in the relationship and posting the videos to Reddit, according to court documents. He told detectives he later deleted the account after it was banned. Schaper also confessed to using methamphetamine heavily and showing the victim how to smoke it once at his apartment, the documents reveal. In court on July 17, he said his memory of events was hazy due to drug use.
Dig deeper:
Investigators uncovered multiple National Center for Missing & Exploited Children cyber tips linked to Schaper. In one, he allegedly bragged online about sexual content involving a "13-year-old" and shared explicit images while claiming he "f**k young b****es all the time." His Snapchat account was banned for sharing child sexual abuse material. In a police interview, he reportedly admitted exchanging nudes with underage girls more than 50 times.
Schaper has a prior criminal history that includes drug possession, theft and DUI convictions.
In the courtroom...:
Prosecutors called Schaper a danger to the victim and other minors, citing his alleged admissions that he recorded their sexual encounters and posted them to Reddit, messaged multiple underage girls on Snapchat and showed the teen how to smoke methamphetamine. During the hearing, Schaper asked the judge for release so he could continue working and avoid burdening his parents. "I have no intentions of continuing communication with the victim or any minor. I just want to work," he said, offering to abide by an ankle monitor and a total ban on internet use.
The 20 felony charges:
Police slapped Schaper with 10 counts of sexual conduct with a minor, seven counts of commercial sexual exploitation of a minor, aggravated luring of a minor for sexual exploitation, transfer of a drug to a minor and unlawful age misrepresentation.
What's next:
Schaper remained inside a Maricopa County jail cell Friday afternoon. He's due back in court on July 23.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from the Scottsdale Police Department and Maricopa County Superior Court.