PHOENIX — An Arizona man who coached baseball at a high school and for club teams, Richard Gallegos, was sentenced this month to 25 years in the Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to two counts of Sexual Conduct with a Minor, one count of Attempted Sexual Conduct with a Minor, and one count of Attempted Molestation of a Child.
In June of 2018 two former players from a club baseball team came forward separately, informing detectives about the past inappropriate behavior of one of their coaches. The victims, now adults, told investigators the defendant had multiple sexual encounters with them at various locations while they were between the ages of 11-14. During the investigation detectives found two other victims that described similar abuse.
Gallegos was a baseball coach at schools as well as club teams since the late 1980’s. He used his position as a baseball coach to talk children into allowing him to sexually abuse them. The victims said he claimed to have coached now famous baseball players when they were younger, and it was his private sessions that helped them excel. The defendant would then use the sessions to pray on the victims.
Gallegos never denied the sexual contact when speaking with one of the victims, however after his arrest he told investigators he was close with the players and spent time with them, but never inappropriately touched them.