The long-running game show Jeopardy! is one of the most popular shows in television history.
Usually, the show receives coverage that is both positive and wholesome.
But this Jeopardy! Champion just got arrested over ‘inappropriate sexualized images.’
The inappropriate math teacher
Winston Nguyen is a former Jeopardy! Champion.
But now, he’s making a different kind of headline these days after he was arrested for the alleged “dissemination of intimate images via social media,” according to law enforcement officials.
Nguyen is currently a math teacher at the elite Saint Ann’s School in Brooklyn Heights.
According to Saint Ann’s website, preschool tuition starts at $52,900 and goes as high as $60,525 for high school students.
The elite New York City school also has a number of celebrity alumni, including actress Lena Dunham, artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Maya Hawke, the daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman.
But now, Saint Ann’s is famous for hiring an ex-con and alleged sexual predator.
Saint Ann hired Nguyen as a middle school and high school math teacher in 2020, just one year after he was released from the prison on Rikers Island.
While he was at Rikers Island, Nguyen made news for reportedly calling into a radio show to speak to then-New York Democrat Mayor Bill de Blasio to complain about the prison’s conditions.
Nguyen was serving time in Rikers after being convicted of stealing $300,000 from a 96-year-old blind man and his 92-year-old wife, according to the New York Post.
He had been working as a home health aide to the elderly couple and stole the money to allegedly pay for expensive ballet tickets and trips to Florida.
Immediately placed on leave
In response to questions about their decision to hire Nguyen, even with his criminal history, a Saint Ann’s spokesperson told the Daily Beast, “A nonviolent criminal record may not preclude employment. The school gives a careful and discerning assessment of a job candidate’s potential fit with the school.”
And regarding the current accusations against Nguyen, the spokesperson stated: “We are fully cooperating with law enforcement in their efforts, and right now we’re focused on helping our students process this news.”
The spokesperson also confirmed Nguyen is a “suspect in an ongoing investigation related to the dissemination of intimate images via social media.”
The spokesperson added, “Upon his arrest on Thursday, he was immediately placed on leave by the school and he remains on leave.”
Saint Ann’s Head of School Kenyatte Reid reportedly notified parents that Nguyen had been arrested and that the arrest was linked to “inappropriate sexualized images.”
“I was informed this evening by the assistant district attorney that his arrest is in relation to an investigation that dates back to January 2024,” Reid wrote in an email to parents.
Nguyen has not yet been charged with any crimes and was released.
But his defense attorney said he is waiting on information from prosecutors regarding potential charges.
Lawyer Frank Rothman told the New York Post, “We are awaiting a decision from the Brooklyn DA’s office regarding charges against Mr. Nguyen. We are expecting some movement in the near future.”
“I don’t think this is something that’s just going to be a non-issue,” Rothman added to the Daily Beast. “There’s going to be an issue. The question is, how big and when?”
Nguyen first achieved some fame in 2014 when he became a Jeopardy! Champion.
And he’s still making headlines today, although not for having the right questions.
