Former Jeopardy! champion Winston Nguyen was recently arrested on child pornography charges.
Winston Nguyen, who was a teacher at an elite school in Brooklyn, catfished children as young as 13. Allegedly, he attempted to get photos and videos of his students — and others in the area — via Snapchat.
Nguyen, 37, surrendered in Brooklyn today after accusations of possession of explicit photos of minors, according to authorities. The shocking arrest comes a few years after Nguyen appeared on Jeopardy! twice, winning one episode.
Nguyen allegedly preyed on six students from several schools. In fact, some of them attended Saint Ann’s School in Brooklyn Heights, where Nguyen taught math.
According to authorities, he used Snapchat to message students, pretending to be a teen. During their interactions, he attempted to persuade the minors to send him nude photos and videos.
The victims include at least six children: five girls and one boy between 13 and 15. Furthermore, the students attended elite, private schools in Brooklyn. These schools include Berkeley Carroll School, Packer Collegiate Institute, Poly Prep Country Day School, and Saint Ann’s School.
“He elicited from those minors photographs sent to him in various forms of nudity,” Assistant District Attorney Daniel Brian Newcombe said in Brooklyn Criminal Court.
‘Jeopardy!’ Champion and Elite Teacher Has Been Arrested For Child Pornography
Nguyen reportedly remained silent in court as the judge set his bail at $30,000. His charges include the use of a child in a sexual performance and promoting sexual performance.
“We always expected this day to come,” Frank Rothman, Nguyen’s attorney, told The Post on Thursday. Nguyen’s original arrest occurred in June.
Nguyen was a well-known contestant on Jeopardy!, appearing twice in 2014 and winning one episode. However, despite his great reputation at the time, this isn’t his first run-in with the law. In fact, while working as a home health aide, he allegedly stole over $300,000 from a 96-year-old client. He served a six-month jail term at the time.
Despite this criminal record, he was still hired to teach at Saint Ann’s in 2020. Furthermore, one parent spoke with NYP about the teacher’s recent actions.
“A lot of parents are deeply shocked and angry about this — that the school had allowed a convicted felon to become a teacher,” the parent said.