Raleigh game show winner faces new charges

Philip Joseph DeSena, a Raleigh resident who won two episodes of the quiz show Jeopardy!, was arrested in Wake County on Oct. 23.

DeSena, 44, first gained local attention after winning two episodes in November 2024. He earned $44,698 during those appearances and later entered the Winter 2025 Champions Wildcard tournament in January.

His legal troubles began before the show. On Dec. 1, 2025, police charged him with two counts of felony secret peeping. Officers said he allegedly recorded 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. He was also ordered to complete 100 hours of community service and undergo a mental health assessment. The court recommended the evaluation be performed by a psychiatrist or psychologist with expertise in psychosexual treatment.

New charges were filed less than a month after his guilty plea. An arrest warrant listed 10 counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. The warrant indicated the charges resulted from the alleged possession of sexually explicit images and videos of children.

DeSena was booked into the Wake County Jail and denied bond during an initial hearing on Monday. He is scheduled to appear in court again on Nov. 16 to address the new sexual exploitation charges.