Ex-con ‘Jeopardy!’ champ Winston Nguyen — now teacher at elite NYC school —accused of catfishing minors in explicit photo probe: sources
A “Jeopardy!” champ and math teacher busted in front of students at a swanky Brooklyn private school was released without charges — but hasn’t escaped scrutiny as investigators probe accusations he catfished minors and disseminated X-rated images on social media, sources said Monday.
Winston Nguyen, 37, remains under investigation in a still-murky Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office investigation following his shock arrest last week, a prosecutors’ spokesperson said.
Nguyen appeared bleary-eyed Monday as he darted for the front door of his apartment block in East Harlem when The Post asked about the accusations – which have unsettled parents at the elite Saint Ann’s School – that he disseminated “inappropriate sexualized images” on social media.
He kept his head down and refused to answer. His attorney, Frank Rothman, said he expects to learn more once prosecutors finish scrubbing through Nguyen’s digital devices.
“Until then, we’re in limbo,” he said.
“My guess is things will happen in the near future, within a week.”
The as-yet-mysterious investigation burst into public view last week when authorities arrested Nguyen last week at Saint Ann’s, a pre-K-to-12 school that boasts famous alumni such as Lena Dunham.
He was released Saturday without being charged as officials decided to defer prosecution pending further investigation, including looking through his computer and phone, sources told The Post.
Sources said Nguyen is accused of catfishing minors, but noted that none appear to be students at the school, where tuition runs upwards of $60,000 a year.
A spokeswoman for the school told the Daily Beast, which first reported the arrest, that Nguyen was placed on leave.
Saint Ann’s Head of School Kenyatte Reid notified parents that the investigation was related to “inappropriate sexualized images,” the Daily Beast reported.
Reid asked families with information related to Winson’s conduct “or any suspicious activity on Snapchat or any social media” to contact the DA’s office, according to a memo reported by the Daily Beast.
The arrest isn’t the first time Nguyen has cut a high profile.
Nguyen appeared in two “Jeopardy!” episodes in 2014, and was later busted for stealing more than $300,000 from a 96-year-old blind man and his 92-year-old wife — a crime for which he served time on Rikers Island.
His status as an ex-con had already raised concerns among Saint Ann’s families, one concerned parent told The Post.
“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.
“People heard about his past when he was first hired in 2020 but it was during Covid and he was support staff rather than actually teaching so I think parents let it pass. It’s a school that tries to be very inclusive and progressive, and that philosophy clearly underlay the decision to give Nguyen a second chance – but it certainly backfired this time.”
Additional reporting by Kyle Schnitzer
