Winston Nguyen, a mathematics teacher at the prestigious St. Ann’s School in Brooklyn Heights, was arrested last Thursday as part of an ongoing investigation into the dissemination of sexualized images via social media.
The arrest, which occurred in front of a crowd of students, has raised questions about the institution’s hiring practices, the New York Post reports.
Nguyen, who previously served time at Rikers Island for stealing $300,000 from an elderly couple while working as their home health aide, had been teaching at St. Ann’s since 2020, just one year after his release from prison.
The school confirmed that Nguyen is a suspect in the investigation, which dates back to January 2024, and has been placed on leave pending the outcome of the case.
Nguyen was not immediately charged following his arrest but remains under investigation by the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office. His lawyer, Frank Rothman, stated.
“We are awaiting a decision from the Brooklyn DAs office regarding charges against Mr Nguyen. We are expecting some movement in the near future,” he added.
The day of Nguyen’s arrest, St. Ann’s Head of School, Kenyatte Reid, notified parents about the incident without revealing the nature of the investigation.
In a follow-up email days later, Reid disclosed that the investigation related to “inappropriate sexualized images” and that Nguyen was barred from contacting anyone in the school community or visiting the school premises.
Reid expressed the school’s distress over the incident, stating, “This incident is very disturbing to all of us. We pride ourselves on our amazing faculty and a learning environment rooted in trust.”
St. Ann’s, known for its celebrity alumni and high tuition fees, has faced scrutiny over its hiring practices in light of Nguyen’s criminal history.
The school maintains that it conducted a comprehensive background check, including criminal records, during the hiring process and that a nonviolent criminal record may not necessarily preclude employment.
“A nonviolent criminal record may not preclude employment,” the school spokesperson told The Daily Beast. “The school gives a careful and discerning assessment of a job candidate’s potential fit with the school.”
Prior to his teaching career, Nguyen gained notoriety as a contestant on the popular game show “Jeopardy!”, where he won the season finale of Season 30.
However, his time at Rikers Island was marked by public criticism of the Department of Corrections conditions, with Nguyen twice calling into a radio show to speak with then-Mayor Bill de Blasio and later filing a lawsuit against the city.
The school community, which boasts famous alumni such as “Girls” creator Lena Dunham, artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Maya Hawk, daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, is grappling with the implications of Nguyen’s arrest and the ongoing investigation.
The post Former Jeopardy! Contestant and Ex-Con Math Teacher Arrested in Investigation of Sexualized Images Spread on Social Media appeared first on Resist the Mainstream.
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Author: Kelly H
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