‘Jeopardy!’ Champion Philip DeSena Arrested For Second Time
‘Jeopardy!’ Champion Philip DeSena Arrested For Second Time
Jeopardy, Inc!
What To Know
Two-time Jeopardy! champion Philip DeSena was arrested for a second time.
This arrest is separate from his previous 2024 case, in which he pleaded guilty to felony peeping.
DeSena is currently being held without bond and could face at least 15 years in prison.
Two-time Jeopardy! champion Philip Joseph “Joey” DeSena has been arrested for the second time this year. This time, it was for ch–i–l- d exploitation charges.
The development engineer from Raleigh, North Carolina, won two games of Jeopardy! in November 2024, taking home a total of $44,698. DeSena was defeated in his third game, but returned on January 16, 2025, for the Champions Wildcard tournament. He made it to the semifinals but was ultimately defeated by Drew Goins and Jen Feldman.
DeSena was arrested on October 22, according to court records obtained by Wavy.com, a North Carolina news outlet. The game show champion faces 10 charges of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. The warrant indicated that the charges came from DeSena’s alleged possession of sexually explicit digital pictures and videos of c—-hi—l dren
between the ages of seven and 15.
He was taken to Wake County jail and was denied bond during an initial court hearing on October 26, according to WBTV. If found guilty, DeSena could face at least 15 years in prison. The Jeopardy! champion is expected back in court on November 16.
This case does not seem to be associated with the one he was arrested for this past July. DeSena was accused of installing cameras in the bedroom and bathroom of a rental home in an Outer Banks, North Carolina, beach house in 2024. A woman was in town for a wedding, and she found black USB wall chargers with cameras inside. Detectives collected the USBs and connected them back to DeSena.
He was arrested in November 2025 for two felony peeping charges and was not given bond. DeSena turned himself in and went to jail for two days.
