Raleigh Jeopardy! Champion Arrested on New Minor Exploitation Charges

Raleigh, N.C., police records show that Philip Joseph DeSena was arrested on Oct. 23 in Wake County. The 44-year-old man, known to television audiences as a two-time contestant on “Jeopardy!,” now faces a new set of criminal charges in the local court system.

Prosecutors filed ten counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor against DeSena. An arrest warrant stated that the charges resulted from his alleged possession of sexually explicit photos and videos depicting children. DeSena was booked into the Wake County Jail and denied bond during an initial hearing held on Monday.

This is the second time DeSena has faced criminal charges in under a year. He was first arrested on Dec. 1, 2025, on two counts of felony secret peeping. That earlier case involved the alleged recording of a woman in a bedroom and bathroom. DeSena pleaded guilty to those charges on July 27, 2026. The court sentenced him to 60 months of probation, 100 hours of community service, and a mental health evaluation by a specialist in psychosexual treatment.

DeSena lives in Raleigh and works as an engineer. He won two separate episodes of “Jeopardy!” in November 2024. His total winnings from those two days amounted to $44,698. He also competed in the show’s “Winter 2025 Champions Wildcard” tournament in January.

DeSena is scheduled to return to court on Nov. 16 to address the new sexual exploitation charges. He will appear before a judge to review the ten new counts and determine the next steps in the legal process.