Girls Sue Elite Private School Over Explicit Photos. School ignored warnings on predatory teacher, an ex-Jeopardy! champ

Two teenagers have filed a federal lawsuit against a Brooklyn teacher and Saint Ann’s School, accusing the elite private school of failing to protect them after the teacher coerced them into sending nude images. The suit, filed Thursday in Brooklyn, names Saint Ann’s, several current and former administrators, and ex-math teacher Winston Nguyen as defendants, according to the New York Times.

The plaintiffs, who were 13 when Nguyen first contacted them online and did not attend Saint Ann’s, allege that he posed as a teenage boy on Snapchat, built a network of students from Saint Ann’s and other private schools, and pressured them into sending increasingly sexual images and videos. After they cut off contact, the lawsuit claims, Nguyen distributed “dozens” of explicit images to students in what their lawyers describe as revenge porn.

Nguyen, 39, who amNY reports is a former Jeopardy! champion, was arrested outside Saint Ann’s in June 2024 and later pleaded guilty to charges including using a child in a sexual performance. He is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence.

The complaint also alleges that Saint Ann’s hired Nguyen despite his prior conviction for defrauding an elderly couple, allowed him to move from a clerical role into teaching, and ignored warnings from staff and parents about his behavior, including sleeping at the school, showering students with gifts, and seeking them out on social media. A law firm report commissioned by the school previously found that community members who raised concerns were sometimes accused of being racist or insufficiently progressive.

The plaintiffs say school leadership was informed twice in early 2024 that explicit images of minors were circulating on Snapchat among students, but the school only met with its own students and did not notify police or the families of the two girls. “To this day, it has never apologized,” the suit states, according to the New York Post.

After the lawsuit was filed, Head of School Kenyatte Reid and board chief Mary Watson wrote to the school community, saying the complaint contains “misrepresentations” about Saint Ann’s role and pledging to contest it in court, while expressing concern for all of Nguyen’s victims, the Times reports. The lawsuit comes after an earlier school report found that at least 19 former staffers may have engaged in sexual misconduct.

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