A former Jeopardy! champion and teacher at a prestigious private school in New York City has been charged with soliciting sexually explicit images of minors, as reported by The New York Times.
Winston Nguyen, 37, was arrested in front of his students at Saint Ann’s School in Brooklyn, where he taught math until recently. He was released shortly after his arrest as authorities launched an investigation into the allegations. According to prosecutors, Nguyen used two Snapchat accounts to try to coax at least six children into sending him explicit images between October 2022 and May 2024.
His lawyer, Frank Rothman, confirmed that Nguyen surrendered to Brooklyn authorities on Thursday morning. Rothman stated, “We arranged for his surrender with the prosecutors and detectives. He showed up and will be processed like any other defendant.”
In a statement to the New York Post, Rothman added, “We always expected this day to come.”
Prior to these charges, Nguyen had been involved in a legal issue in 2017 where he was accused of stealing over $300,000 from an elderly couple he had been caring for as a home health aide. He pleaded guilty to the charges in the following year and served time in prison before being released.
In a post-release interview with the National Food Museum, Nguyen expressed remorse for his actions and discussed how his students at Saint Ann’s were aware of his past. He mentioned, “I think because of this being so public, students know what I did and feel comfortable coming to me with their own poor choices.”
Despite his legal troubles, Nguyen had a brief stint on Jeopardy! where he won over $11,000 across two appearances in 2014. Saint Ann’s School, known for its high tuition fees and notable alumni, has been embroiled in controversy in the past, including a lawsuit filed by the family of a former student who tragically died by suicide after being denied re-enrollment at the school.