A former Jeopardy winner found himself in hot water after allegedly catfishing kids into sending him inappropriate photos of themselves. Police arrested Winston Nguyen in June but initially released him without charges.
Now, authorities have accused the 37-year-old of posing as a teenager on Snapchat. Prior to his arrest, the former Jeopardy winner worked as a teacher at a Brooklyn private school. Nguyen allegedly engaged in hundreds of sexualized chats, asking for inappropriate photos and videos. These children were as young as 13.
According to authorities, there were six kids in total — five girls and one boy. The ages ranged from 13 to 15, and they all attended private schools in Brooklyn. "He elicited from those minors photographs sent to him in various forms of nudity," Assistant District Attorney Daniel Brian Newcombe said in Brooklyn Criminal Court Thursday.
A judge set the former Jeopardy winner's bail at $30,000. Authorities charged him with several felonies including use of a child in a sexual performance. Nguyen allegedly started catfishing kids in 2022. He allegedly operated under the handles "hunterkristoff" and "haircutbongos."
Authorities believe that Nguyen catfished hundreds of teens using the profiles. However, they don't believe that Nguyen met any of the teens face to face. However, he did allegedly convince them to send him inappropriate videos, offering to pay one 15-year-old to send him a video of them engaging in a sexual act.
'Jeopardy' Winner Arrested Before
Authorities reportedly found several images of minors on Nguyen's phone. They're looking to see whether Nguyen was in contact with other minors outside of the city. He worked as a teacher at the elite Saint Ann's School in Brooklyn Heights.
"We always expected this day to come," Nguyen's attorney, Frank Rothman told The New York Post. He called the accusations "quite disturbing." The judge dropped the bail from $50,000 because Nguyen turned himself in. However, this isn't the former Jeopardy winner's first time in trouble with the law.
Nguyen reportedly stole more than $300,000 from an elderly couple. He used the money to front a lavish lifestyle such as vacations and Broadway shows. He pled guilty in 2018 and went to jail for six months. Nguyen was on probation during this latest arrest. He will return to court in August.
Nguyen's arrest has raised concerns from families. Many argue that the school should have never hired him given his record.
"A lot of parents are deeply shocked and angry about this — that the school had allowed a convicted felon to become a teacher," the parent said.
