PHOENIX — Patrick Battillo, known in the Valley as Suns superfan "Mr. ORNG," was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison on Friday morning for child sex crimes.
Once he gets out of prison, Battillo will be on supervised probation for the rest of his life and must register as a sex offender.
He'll get credit for 61 days already served.
Battillo pleaded guilty last month to three counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor.
He previously faced seven counts of attempting to commit sexual exploitation of a minor.
The now former basketball coach was first arrested two years ago.
ABC15 previously learned that Battillo sent a teen student Snapchat messages asking for videos of himself doing sexual things.
Battillo would reportedly give the student money in return.
During an investigation, detectives spoke with the people involved and learned Battillo asked multiple juvenile victims to send videos and photos of themselves, according to Peoria PD.
Battillo was the head boys basketball coach and a volunteer at Peoria High School.
One mom, whose child was a victim, spoke to media after court ended. She told ABC15 she didn’t believe justice was served.
“We avoided a trial and avoided having to have all the victims come forward and relive the horrific situation that occurred, but that came with negotiation of him not being held accountable for what he actually did,” the mother said.
During court, victims went up to the podium to give impact statements before the sentencing.
One mother called Battillo a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.” Another said their child can no longer play basketball and others said their children’s lives have changed.
“You just didn't harm him in a moment, you altered the course of his dreams and life,” one victim impact statement read.
When given the opportunity, Battillo told the court he had nothing additional to add to what his attorney had said.
His attorney, Dakota Johnson, said Battillo has expressed remorse.
“He accepts responsibility for the things he’s done. He does apologize to the victims and their families sincerely,” Johnson said.
However, that was not enough for the victims and their families. They spoke with the media, hoping to call on others who, if they were victims, would come forward.
“There is no amount of time, there is no sort of justice that can really rectify what he’s done but three-and-a-half years, like someone else referenced, is a joke and offensive,” the mother said. “A decade plus would’ve been the minimum I would like to see.”
