A former teacher and cheerleading coach in California is maintaining his innocence in court. Nicholas Moseby is currently on trial for alleged lewd acts after prosecutors say he texted underage female students inappropriate pictures. However, he claims that he is innocent and is being targeted by his former students. As his trial winds down, his attorney argued that the messages weren’t supposed to be sent to the girls — he simply texted the wrong person. But the intended recipient is still pretty surprising.
Moseby, a 44-year-old former teacher, was arrested on September 14, 2022. He was charged with three felonies: two counts of committing a lewd act upon a child, as well as another count for distributing or showing pornography to a minor, according to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office. At the time of his arrest, he was a biology teacher at Diablo Vista Middle School in Danville, and worked as a cheer instructor at Nor Cal Elites in San Ramon.
According to reporting from local news outlet DanvilleSanRamon.com, Moseby’s trial was supposed to begin in 2023, but was delayed eight times before finally starting in August 2025. Moseby pleaded not guilty to all charges.
On October 14, Moseby’s public defender claimed that the two girls, ages 14 and 15, to whom he texted a video of his genitals, were not the intended recipients, according to in court reporting from the East Bay Times. He claimed he meant to send the video to a sex worker.
“He talks to a lot of sex workers,” attorney Manisha Daryani told the court. “All of us have phones, and all of us have accidentally texted the wrong person. It happens.”
The outlet reported that since the arrest, more students have come forward. They have accused Moseby of groping, grinding on, and making lewd comments. As a result, he faces an additional charge of sexual battery. Moseby testified recently, maintaining his innocence, the outlet also reported.
DanvilleSanRamon.com reported that Moseby was served with a civil lawsuit from the victims in November 2024. Nor Cal Elite, the school district, and several former administrators are named in addition to Moseby. He has filed a cross-complaint in that case, claiming the plaintiffs and their classmates coordinated to target and harass him.
