'Mr. ORNG' faces sentencing for child sex crimes
Patrick Battillo, the former varsity boy's basketball coach at Peoria High School and a man known as Phoenix Suns superfan "Mr. ORNG," will be sentenced on April 17 after pleading guilty to child sex crimes.
PHOENIX - A former basketball coach at a Valley high school and a man recognized as a Phoenix Suns superfan will be sentenced on Friday after pleading guilty to child sex crimes.
The backstory:
Patrick Battillo, the former varsity boy's basketball coach at Peoria High School, was arrested in 2024 after a teenage boy reported to school staff that Battillo sent him messages, soliciting video that depicted the teen in various sexual acts and in various states of undress.
More victims later came forward and Battillo was indicted by a grand jury.
As part of a plea agreement, Battillo pleaded guilty to three counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor. Four charges that he faced were dropped.
Ex-Peoria basketball coach pleads guilty in sex crimes case
As part of a plea deal, Patrick Battillo pleaded guilty to three counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor. Under his plea agreement, four additional charges he faced were dropped.
Dig deeper:
Battillo was known as "Mr. ORNG," appearing at Suns home games.
What's next:
Battillo's sentencing is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on April 17.
The Source: The Maricopa County Superior Court provided information for this story. Supplemental information was gathered from a FOX 10 report on March 17, 2026.