Jeopardy! titleholder Philip Joseph "Joey" DeSena taken into custody for felony voyeurism

Former two-time Jeopardy! winner, Philip Joseph “Joey” DeSena, has been arrested and is facing two counts of felony secret peeping or felony voyeurism. 

DeSena is a development engineer who took home the title of Jeopardy! two nights in a row in November 2024, earning a grand total of $44,698. 

According to the arrest warrant filed by the Currituck County Sheriff’s office and reported by PEOPLE on December 9, 2025, DeSena returned to the limelight, making headlines for allegedly setting up a camera in a person’s bedroom and bathroom. 

The arrest warrant claimed that he installed a camera to record his victim on October 10, 2025. However, he was arrested soon after, and a $5,000 bail was posted for his case. 

More details on former Jeopardy! winner DeSena’s arrest and his run on the game show

DeSena is a Raleigh resident who was arrested for “unlawfully, willfully, and feloniously” setting up a camera in his alleged victim’s bedroom and bathroom with an intention to record that person. 

According to the arrest warrant, DeSena had broken the law by using a device to “create a photographic image,” intending to capture “the image of another without their consent.”

After the alleged incident was reported, DeSena was taken into custody on December 1, 2025, with a bail bond of $5000 posted on December 3. 

A probable-cause hearing was set for December 10; however, no details about his ongoing investigation have yet been revealed by his legal representatives or by Jeopardy!

Currently, the only information available pertains to the two charges of felony peeping, as further details about the case remain undisclosed.

Fans of the game show first saw DeSena on their screens on November 11, 2024. His debut night on Jeopardy! turned into success as he emerged victorious. 

He returned the following night, on November 12, and won again. However, DeSena’s winning streak ended on November 13 when he failed to emerge on top. 

Regardless, DeSena returned for the Champions Wildcard tournament in January 2025, going as far as the semifinals, as reported by the TVInsider. 

DeSena appeared on the fourth night of the Champions Wildcard tournament, competing alongside attorney Eamonn Campbell and software engineer Mehal Shah. 

In the first round, he earned $6,200 after successfully answering the Daily Double. In the Double Jeopardy! Round, DeSena secured another $11,000 by correctly recounting the Pope’s public advice for the 2024 U.S. presidential election. 

His opponent, Shah, proved to be a tough competitor, going head-to-head with DeSena in every round. 

However, DeSena still had the upper hand as he entered the Final Jeopardy! with $24,000, where Shah had $19,6000. 

The final round ended with DeSena and Shah wagering no money and leaving with the amount they entered the Final Jeopardy! round.

Later, DeSena took to Reddit to share his thoughts on the episode, as reported by TVInsider. He appreciated his competitors for being “tremendous” opponents and also “great people,” sharing that Shah’s high wagers prompted him to follow in his footsteps. 

“I don’t know why I bet so much on that Daily Double in Double Jeopardy – but hopefully it made for good TV. I think Mehal’s big wager right before that got me spooed, as was like his objective,” he wrote.

The Jeopardy! player also revealed that the pin he wore to the game show belonged to his father, who died “exactly ten years ago.” He added that his participation on Jeopardy! was his “little way of paying tribute” to his late father.

Stay tuned for more updates.