Raleigh engineer who won Jeopardy twice faces new child exploitation charges

Philip Joseph DeSena, a 44-year-old engineer from Raleigh, faces 10 new counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor.

DeSena gained local attention in November 2024 after winning two separate episodes of the game show Jeopardy!. He earned a total of $44,698 from those wins and later competed in the show's Winter 2025 Champions Wildcard tournament in January.

His first legal trouble began on December 1, 2025, when he was arrested in Wake County. Officials charged him with two counts of felony secret peeping. Those charges resulted from allegations that he recorded a woman in a bedroom and a 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 evaluation by a specialist in psychosexual treatment.

Records show DeSena was arrested again on October 23. The new warrant lists 10 counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. The charges stem from alleged possession of sexually explicit pictures and videos of children. He was booked into the Wake County Jail. A judge denied his request for bond during an initial court hearing on Monday.

DeSena is scheduled to return to court on November 16 to address the new sexual exploitation charges.