Former “Jeopardy!” winner and Brooklyn school teacher Winston Nguyen has been accused of catfishing children as young as 13 years old into sending explicit photos and videos on Snapchat. Nguyen, who spent time in jail for previous crimes, appeared in Brooklyn Criminal Court on Thursday after posting bail. He remained silent when questioned about the allegations, which include posing as a teenager on two different Snapchat accounts to interact with the young victims.
Nguyen is currently facing 30 charges, including use of a child in a sexual performance and promoting a sexual performance, among other felonies. The accused teacher surrendered to Brooklyn prosecutors after a month-long investigation into his involvement with explicit content involving minors while teaching at the prestigious Saint Ann’s School, where he has been employed since 2020. Some of the alleged victims were students at this institution.
The catfishing scheme is believed to have taken place between October 2022 and May, during which Nguyen allegedly used his teenager ruse on at least 11 occasions. In one instance, he reportedly paid a victim for explicit content. Nguyen was arrested in front of students at Saint Ann’s School in Brooklyn Heights last month, where he taught math to students whose parents pay upwards of $60,000 per year in tuition fees.
This recent arrest comes after Nguyen spent time behind bars for a separate incident in which he used an elderly couple as his personal piggy bank, stealing more than $300,000 and using the money to purchase ballet tickets and a trip to Florida. During his previous incarceration, Nguyen publicly criticized the Department of Corrections conditions and unsuccessfully filed a lawsuit against the city. His attorney, Frank Rothman, has indicated that he expects Nguyen’s current child pornography arrest will be considered a violation of probation in his Manhattan case, which is set for August 5 in Manhattan Supreme Court.
