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FBI: Scottsdale man facing federal sex charges in Nebraska

Nicholas Murphy of Scottsdale is accused of a federal sex crime. The FBI is looking for people in Nebraska who may been victimized by him.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — A Scottsdale man appeared in court Wednesday in Nebraska after he was indicted for allegedly transporting a minor to Arizona to engage in sexual activity. 

Nicholas Murphy, 43, is accused of transporting an underage girl from Omaha to Tucson in October 2021, according to an indictment filed in federal court last month.

The Scottsdale Unified School District confirmed to 12News in an email that Murphy was a "volunteer freshman football coach" at Desert Mountain High School.

The following notification was sent to parents concerning Murphy:

Dear Desert Mountain Families,

Earlier this evening we learned that one of our volunteer freshman football coaches has been indicted in the state of Nebraska. We want you to know that this person cleared a background check and had level one fingerprint clearance prior to being permitted to volunteer with our program. Upon learning of these out-of-state legal proceedings, he will no longer be volunteering with our program or anywhere in our district.

Should you believe that anyone in our district is behaving in an inappropriate manner with a student, we urge you to report it immediately. The safety and security of our students is our top priority.

According to WOWT News, a judge released Murphy to the supervision of his parents in Arizona and ordered him to not have contact with minors while the case is adjudicated.

The FBI said agents are in the process of looking for individuals who may have been victimized by the defendant. Before living in Scottsdale, the defendant was the co-owner of the Dance Authority studio in Sarpy County, Nebraska.

The FBI is looking for potential victims who attended the dance studio from 2011 to the present.

 Murphy was a punter at ASU.

More info on the FBI case can be found here.

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