Three-time Jeopardy! champion Philip Joseph “Joey” DeSena has been arrested on child sexual exploitation charges, just three months after pleading guilty to two felony counts of secret peeping.
DeSena, 44, was arrested in North Carolina last Friday, October 23, and charged with 10 counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, according to court records obtained by The Daily Mail.
An arrest warrant alleges that the charges involve his possession of sexually explicit images and videos depicting children.
Court documents state that the alleged offenses took place on November 19, 2025.
The Raleigh-based software developer was arrested while serving a 60-month probation sentence after pleading guilty to two felony counts of secret peeping in July 2026.
He was booked into Wake County Jail and held without bail after his initial court appearance.
A judge denied bond on Monday, and jail records show that DeSena remains incarcerated at the Wake County facility.
Three-time Jeopardy! winner Philip Joseph “Joey” DeSena has been arrested on child sexual exploitation charges, three months after pleading guilty to two felony secret-peeping charges
DeSena, 44, was arrested in North Carolina last Friday, October 23, and charged with 10 counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, according to records obtained by The Daily Mail, as shown in his latest mugshot
DeSena is scheduled to appear in court again on November 11. The Daily Mail has contacted representatives of the Raleigh Police Department for comment.
In July, DeSena pleaded guilty to two felony counts of secret peeping.
He was arrested in December 2025 in Maple, North Carolina, after allegedly placing a camera in the bathroom and bedroom of an unsuspecting victim at a rental property in Corolla.
According to the indictment, DeSena “unlawfully, willfully, and feloniously” installed “any device that can be used to create a photographic image, namely a camera placed in the bathroom,” intending to record another person without consent.
He faced two felony secret-peeping charges and pleaded guilty, receiving a 60-month probationary sentence.
The incident came to light on October 10, 2025, when the victim told police she discovered two black USB wall chargers containing hidden cameras inside the rental home while visiting the area for a wedding. Prosecutors detailed the allegations during a hearing, according to WAVY.
DeSena surrendered to authorities on December 1, 2025, and was released two days later after posting $5,000 bail.
DeSena made his Jeopardy! debut on November 11, 2024, winning that episode before returning to claim another victory on November 12.
His streak ended with a loss on November 13, but he returned in January 2025 for the Champions Wildcard tournament, where he advanced to the semifinals.
In March 2025, another former Jeopardy! champion, New York City math teacher Winston Nguyen, was sentenced to seven years in prison for catfishing students and persuading them to send explicit images.
Nguyen, who competed on and won Jeopardy! in 2014, was arrested in June 2024 and charged with multiple offenses.
Nguyen was given a second chance in 2020 to teach at the prestigious Saint Ann’s private school in Brooklyn after he was convicted on fraud charges.
But just four years later, the math teacher was arrested again – sending the prep school spiraling into a PR crisis.
In July, DeSena pleaded guilty to two felony charges of being a Peeping Tom. DeSena was arrested in December 2025 in Maple, North Carolina after he installed a camera in an unknowing victim’s bathroom and bedroom at a rental property in Corolla
In 2022, students at Saint Ann’s and other private schools within Brooklyn began reporting that they were receiving solicitations via Snapchat for inappropriate photos and videos.
Some of these students were as young as 13.
The District Attorney’s office alerted Saint Ann’s in February 2024 that an investigation was taking place into the anonymous account. Parents were not notified.