Former ‘Jeopardy!’ Winner Arrested on Secret Peeping Charges
A former two-time Jeopardy! champion from North Carolina, Philip Joseph “Joey” DeSena, 42, has been arrested and charged with two counts of felony secret peeping. The allegations center around the installation of hidden cameras in a victim’s private spaces.
According to an arrest warrant filed by the Currituck County Sheriff’s Office, DeSena is accused of installing cameras in a victim’s bedroom and bathroom on October 10. However, the warrant was not issued until November 26. Authorities stated DeSena “unlawfully, willfully and feloniously” installed a “device that can be used to create [a] photographic image, namely a camera,” with the intent to capture images of another person without their consent.
DeSena was taken into custody on December 1 and subsequently released from jail on December 3 after posting a $5,000 bond, as reported by CBS affiliate WBTV in Charlotte, North Carolina. A condition of his release is a strict no-contact order with the victim. A probable cause hearing is scheduled for December 10.
DeSena’s arrest comes after he won twice on Jeopardy! in November 2024, earning a total of $44,698.
This is not the first instance of a Jeopardy! champion facing legal repercussions. Winston Nguyen, a former math teacher and Jeopardy! contestant, was sentenced in March to seven years in prison for soliciting nude images and sexual videos from children online. Nguyen posed as a teenager on Snapchat to commit these crimes, ultimately pleading guilty to one count of use of a child in a sexual performance and five counts of endangering the welfare of a child. He will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release. Nguyen appeared on two Jeopardy! episodes in 2014.
The case involving DeSena highlights a disturbing pattern of abuse of privacy and raises questions about the backgrounds of public figures. — With files from The Associated Press.
