‘Jeopardy!’ Champion Philip DeSena Arrested For Second Time on Child Exploitation Charges

Warning: The following post contains discussions of sexual assault of a minor. 

Two-time Jeopardy! champion Philip Joseph “Joey” DeSena has been arrested for the second time this year. This time, it was for child 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 for possessing child sexual abuse material, 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 children 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.

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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.

Since DeSena pleaded guilty to his first case, he did not have to register as a sex offender. He also completed a psycho-sexual evaluation five days before the court hearing. It concluded that he is at a below-average risk of reoffending. DeSena received a 60-month probation sentence.

If you or someone you know is the victim of child abuse, contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453). If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.

If you or someone you know is the victim of sexual assault, contact the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network‘s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or a loved one is in immediate danger, call 911.