10 counts: Raleigh engineer faces new child exploitation charges
Philip DeSena, who won two Jeopardy episodes in late 2024, was arrested in Wake County on October 23 and denied bond.
By Fatima Laurent ·
Philip Joseph DeSena, a 44-year-old engineer from Raleigh, has been charged with 10 counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. Court records indicate he was arrested in Wake County on Oct. 23, 2026. The charges stem from his alleged possession of sexually explicit images and videos of children. DeSena was booked into the Wake County Jail and denied bond during a hearing on Monday.
This is the second time DeSena has faced criminal charges in under a year. His initial arrest occurred on Dec. 1, 2025, when he was charged with two counts of felony secret peeping. Prosecutors alleged he recorded a female in a bedroom and bathroom. On July 27, 2026, he pleaded guilty to those peeping charges. The court sentenced him to 60 months of probation, ordered him to complete 100 hours of community service, and required a mental health assessment. The court recommended that this evaluation be conducted by a psychiatrist or psychologist specializing in psychosexual treatment.
DeSena gained national recognition in November 2024 after winning two consecutive episodes of the game show Jeopardy. Between the two victories, the engineer collected $44,698. He also participated in the show's Winter 2025 Champions Wildcard tournament in January. His legal troubles began shortly after that tournament concluded.
DeSena is scheduled to return to court on Nov. 16 to address the new sexual exploitation charges. His current status is pretrial detention pending that hearing.
Source: WWSB
