A former Jeopardy! champion has pleaded guilty to peeping. Philip Joseph “Joey” DeSena was accused of installing cameras in an Outer Banks, North Carolina beach house in 2024.
DeSena, a development engineer from Raleigh, North Carolina, won two games of Jeopardy! in November 2024. He took home a total of $44,698. The champion was defeated in his third game, but returned on January 16, 2025, for the Champions Wildcard tournament, competing for a spot in the 2025 Tournament of Champions. DeSena made it to the semi-finals but was ultimately defeated by fan favorite Drew Goins and Jen Feldman.
About a year after his time on the game show, he made headlines again, but not for something good. DeSena was arrested in late November 2025 on two felony peeping charges. He was not given bond. Attorneys shared with WAVY.com that DeSena turned himself in after the warrant went out, admitted the allegations, cooperated with officers, and went to jail for two days.
Wake County Sheriff’s Office
According to MyFox8.com, citing a warrant filed by the Currituck County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina, DeSena was accused of installing cameras in a victim’s bedroom and bathroom on October 10, 2025. A probable cause hearing for DeSena’s case took place on December 10.
The victim told police that she was visiting Corolla in the Outer Banks for a wedding and found cameras in the bedroom and bathroom of the rental home she was staying in. They were black USB wall chargers with cameras inside. Detectives looked through the cameras and linked them back to DeSena.
Now, after entering a plea agreement on July 27, meaning he pleaded guilty, he does not have to register as a sex offender as part of the deal. According to WAVY.com, DeSena completed a psycho-sexual evaluation five days before the court hearing. It concluded that he is at below-average risk to re-offend.
DeSena was sentenced to five years of supervised probation and needs to take part in mental health assessments. The former champion told the court that he is “deeply sorry” and does not expect forgiveness because he knows “how much this affected certain people.” The Jeopardy! star is married with two small children.
Jeopardy!, Season 43, September 2026, check local listings
