Jeopardy! champion arrested on felony secret peeping charges
Philip Joseph ‘Joey’ DeSena was arrested in North Carolina on two charges of felony secret peeping a year after winning thousands on the hit trivia show Jeopardy!
DeSena is a former two-day champion of Jeopardy! (Image: Jeopardy, Inc)
A former Jeopardy! champion was arrested and charged with two counts of felony secret peeping in North Carolina.
Philip Joseph “Joey” DeSena, who previously won two episodes of the hit show last November and took home $44,698. He also competed in the Champions Wildcard Tournament. The 42-year-old was arrested on December 1, according to court documents obtained by the Mirror US from the Currituck County Sheriff’s Office in Maple, North Carolina.
DeSena, who was previously interviewed by the Mirror US about his time on Jeopardy!, was accused of “unlawfully, willfully, and feloniously” installing “any device that can be used to create photographic image, namely camera placed in the bathroom, with the intent to capture the image of another without their consent” in an unnamed room, according to the warrant.
Though he was arrested this month, the court documents allege his crime took place on October 10. DeSena posted a $5,000 bond two days after his arrest. A court-ordered DNA collection was also done on DeSena on the day of his arrest at 6:53 in the morning.
A first-time conviction of felony secret peeping is considered a class I felony, which can carry a sentence of 3 to 12 months of jail time in North Carolina. DeSena, a development engineer from Raleigh, NC, has his first court appearance in Currituck County Court on Wednesday, December 10.
DeSena was charged with two counts of felony secret peeping(Image: Wake County Sheriff’s Office)
During his interview with the Mirror US, DeSena detailed how he appeared on three Jeopardy! episodes, and it only took a few hours to film it all. “On the clock, an episode records in just under an hour. You pause where the commercial breaks would be so you can grab water and breathe, and Ken often takes a few audience questions,” he explained.
He added that the show films five episodes a day. “On my tape day, I was randomly drawn for the first game, won, had maybe ten minutes to change and get a quick hair and makeup touch-up, and went right back out,” DeSena said.
He won over $44,000 on Jeopardy(Image: ABC via Getty Images)
“My third game, which I lost, wrapped just before lunch,” he continued. “For something that sticks with you for life, it’s wild to realize it all happened in one whirlwind morning.”
DeSena also noted that the host of the show, Ken Jennings, who is a former contestant himself, gave him and the others advice. “The theme was simple: enjoy it. That mindset helped. Take a breath, respect the game, and have fun with a once-in-a-lifetime moment,” he said.
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