Two 'Jeopardy!' Champions Currently Facing Child Pornography Charges

The two men face multiple felony charges.

By Ashley Turner - August 9, 2024 09:33 pm EDT

Two former champions of Jeopardy! find themselves embroiled in separate legal battles involving allegations of child pornography and exploitation. Winston Nguyen, 37, and Brendan DuBois, 64, both celebrated for their intellect on national television, now face serious criminal charges.

Winston Nguyen, a math instructor at the prestigious Saint Ann's School in Brooklyn Heights, New York, was apprehended in June when authorities took him into custody in front of his students, reported the New York Post. Initially released without charges as the investigation continued, Nguyen surrendered himself to law enforcement on July 25 to confront a 30-count criminal complaint detailing his alleged crimes.

Prosecutors assert that Nguyen orchestrated an elaborate scheme to deceive and exploit minors from several elite Brooklyn educational institutions, including Berkeley Carroll School, Packer Collegiate Institute, Poly Prep Country Day School, and his employer, Saint Ann's School, according to the outlet. Utilizing Snapchat, Nguyen allegedly posed as a teenager, engaging in hundreds of sexually explicit conversations with children as young as 13 years old.

Assistant District Attorney Daniel Brian Newcombe revealed in Brooklyn Criminal Court, "He elicited from those minors photographs sent to him in various forms of nudity." The prosecution contends that Nguyen victimized at least six young individuals – five girls and one boy – aged between 13 and 15.

The alleged offenses occurred from October 2022 to May 2023, during which time Nguyen purportedly employed at least two Snapchat accounts under the aliases "hunterkristoff" and "haircutbongos" to carry out his deception. Law enforcement sources indicate that Nguyen may have contacted hundreds of teenagers, though it remains unclear whether all were students at private schools in New York City.

Nguyen faces multiple felony charges, including use of a child in a sexual performance and promoting a sexual performance. During his arraignment, a judge set his bail at $30,000. As he left the courtroom, Nguyen remained silent in the face of questions from reporters.

This isn't Nguyen's first encounter with the legal system. In 2018, he pleaded guilty to three charges, including endangering the welfare of a disabled person, after stealing over $300,000 from an elderly couple for whom he worked as a home health aide. He served a six-month jail term and was still on probation at the time of his recent arrest.

The impact of Nguyen's arrest on the Saint Ann's School community has been significant. One parent expressed their shock to The Post, stating, "A lot of parents are deeply shocked and angry about this — that the school had allowed a convicted felon to become a teacher."

In a parallel case, New York Times bestselling author Brendan DuBois was taken into custody on July 24 in Exeter, New Hampshire, facing charges related to child pornography. DuBois, known for his collaborations with James Patterson and his Lewis Cole mystery series, turned himself in following a four-month investigation conducted jointly by local police and the Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce.

The 64-year-old author stands accused of six felony counts of possession of child pornography. According to the criminal complaint, DuBois "did knowingly possess at least 35 visual representations of children engaging in sexually explicit conduct." The investigation began in March after Google reported suspicious activity involving the storage of "apparent child pornography" on its cloud service, per New York Post.

A search warrant executed at DuBois' residence on May 7 led to the confiscation of a hard drive and laptop from his home office. Subsequent analysis flagged more than 5,600 images as "possible child abuse content," with victims ranging from infants to children around 12 years of age. Investigators also uncovered troubling search history on DuBois' devices, including phrases like "I accidentally saved child pornography to my main Google Drive" and "How to tell if Google has reported me to the police."

The allegations against DuBois have prompted swift action from his publisher, Severn River Publishing, which has removed his books from circulation and taken down his author biography page. In a statement, the company expressed its distress over the situation: "We are deeply disturbed by the serious allegations against Brendan DuBois. While we respect the legal process, we have decided to immediately suspend all promotion and sales of Mr. DuBois' books. We believe these steps are necessary to uphold our values and maintain the trust of our readers, authors, and the publishing community."

Both Nguyen and DuBois achieved fame as contestants on Jeopardy! Nguyen appeared twice in 2014, winning one episode, while DuBois is a former champion of the long-running quiz show. Frank Rothman, Nguyen's attorney, acknowledged the seriousness of the case, stating, "We always expected this day to come," and describing the accusations as "quite disturbing." However, he successfully argued for a lower bail package, citing Nguyen's cooperation with the investigation.

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