He's an ex-con teacher at elite Saint Ann's School in Brooklyn who won on Jeopardy......Who is Winston Nguyen, Alex?
The curious case of Nguyen, 37, who teaches math at Saint Ann's, a $60,000 per year private K-12 school, has almost come to a close. Nguyen surrendered to authorities this morning in Brooklyn following the seizure of his phone and other devices one month ago when he was arrested in front of Saint Ann's.
Nguyen preyed on students from multiple schools, as reported by the New York Post:
"Prosecutors told The Post that Nguyen allegedly preyed upon six students from elite schools — including Saint Ann’s, Poly Prep Country Day School, Berkeley Carroll School and Packer Collegiate Institute — whom he exchanged messages with on Snapchat."
The question that has parents at the school scratching their heads: why did administrators at Saint Ann's continue to employ a teacher who served time on Rikers Island for stealing from a blind couple in their nineties? Per the Post:
Nguyen appeared in two “Jeopardy!” episodes in 2014, and was later busted for stealing more than $300,000 from a 96-year-old blind man and his 92-year-old wife — a crime for which he served time on Rikers Island.
What's more, the brazen thief used the ill-gotten money for lavish trips and the ballet. From prison, he twice phoned in to radio talk show hosted by former Mayor Bill De Blasio to complain about Rikers conditions. He then sued the city. He was hired by Saint Ann's one year after his release from Rikers.
It's hard to imagine why Saint Ann's would hire a known felon. Did they fail to perform a background check on Nguyen?
The head of school at the time of Nguyen's hiring was Vincent Tompkins, who had previously been a deputy provost at Brown University. Tompkins was replaced in 2022 by Kenyatte Reid, who previously worked at the NYC Dept. of Education.
Reid hasn't had an easy go as head either. In 2022, Saint Ann's was sued by the parents of a 13 year-old who committed suicide after learning he wouldn't be invited back to the school for 9th grade.
Saint Ann's is the alma mater for actress Lena Dunham.
He is expected to be arraigned this afternoon on charges of promoting a sexual performance by a child, using a child in a sexual performance, and other charges.
Two things. Claiming Lena Dunham as a graduate IS NOT a plus. Second, why indeed would ANY school hire a convicted felon? He stole almost one third of a million dollars - not like he tried to pinch a box of condoms from Walgreens. This school must have VERY HIGH standards, no?