Jeopardy! winner arrested and accused of being a peeping tom

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A former Jeopardy! champion, who won on two consecutive nights last year, has been arrested and charged with voyeurism.

Forty-two-year-old Philip Joseph DeSena, known as Joey, was arrested last Monday in Maple, North Carolina, the Currituck County Sheriff’s Office reported.

I was shocked to read in the New York Post that he’s accused of putting a camera in someone’s bathroom on October 10th, apparently to secretly record them. It’s a truly disturbing allegation.

He faces two felony charges related to secretly viewing people and was released after posting a $5,000 bond last Wednesday. He’s due back in court this Wednesday.

A software developer from Raleigh is facing charges for secretly placing a camera in a bathroom with the intention of taking pictures of someone without their permission.

The Daily Mail has reached out to DeSena’s attorney for comment. 

Michael DeSena first competed on Jeopardy! on November 11, 2024, and won. He returned the next night, November 12, and won again.

He had a winning streak that ended with a loss on November 13th, but he came back strong in January, reaching the semifinals of the Champions Wildcard tournament.

Winston Nguyen, a former Jeopardy! champion and math teacher from New York City, received a seven-year prison sentence this March. He was convicted of tricking students online into sending him inappropriate photos.

After a conviction for fraud, Nguyen was hired again in 2020 to teach at Saint Ann’s, a well-known private school in Brooklyn.

However, just four years after that, the teacher was arrested once more, causing a major public relations problem for the private school.

In 2020, Nguyen was hired as an administrative aide, despite a previous conviction for fraud. He had stolen over $300,000 from an elderly couple he was caring for as a home health aide the year before.

I was so glad when Saint Ann’s decided to give him a chance. Ms. Yusuf-Morales – Mo, as everyone calls her – she’s the Head of the Upper Middle School and a really skilled DEI trainer, and she strongly believed in giving him an opportunity, even knowing about his past. She really championed him, and I admire her for that.

He informed the school administrator about his past felony conviction. Despite this, the New York Times reported that at least one school official strongly disagreed with the decision to hire him.

Despite past setbacks, he got another opportunity and worked his way up to become a math teacher by 2021 at a school with a unique approach to education. He also led a seminar on ‘Crime and Punishment’.

Although school officials didn’t inform parents about Nguyen’s past criminal activity, students quickly found articles online detailing his previous offense.

As a parent, I was really frustrated when we tried to voice our worries to the school, but it felt like we weren’t being heard at all. Back in October 2021, the head of school, Vince Tompkins, sent an email saying they were completely confident in Mr. Winston, just like with any teacher they hire, and that he was fully capable of teaching and looking after our kids.

Several parents and witnesses said they were afraid to voice genuine concerns about a person of color, worrying they would be labeled as racist or seen as not progressive enough.

In 2022, students at Saint Ann’s and other Brooklyn private schools started reporting they were getting requests on Snapchat for inappropriate pictures and videos.

Some of the students involved were only 13 years old. In February 2024, the District Attorney began investigating an anonymous online account, but parents weren’t informed about it.

Art Nguyen, the 2014 Jeopardy! champion, was arrested in June 2024 and faces multiple charges.

From what I understand, Yusuf-Morales was a strong advocate for bringing Nguyen on board, but they’ve since moved on from Saint Ann’s. They’re now working at a charter school here in Brooklyn, which is a big shift, but I wish them all the best in their new role.

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2025-12-10 21:35