Honk News (New York City, NY) — A former school employee admitted to deceiving students at prestigious private schools in Brooklyn, engaging in a disturbing plot to manipulate them into sharing explicit images and videos.
Winston Nguyen, a former educator at the prestigious Saint Ann’s School in Brooklyn Heights, remained mostly silent as he accepted a plea agreement that is expected to result in a seven-year prison sentence and a lifelong designation as a registered sex offender.
The former trivia champion remained mostly silent as Judge Philip Tisne carefully examined the charges to confirm that Nguyen understood the implications of his plea.
“Do you admit … that on or about May 7, 2024, in the county of Kings … you employed, authorized or induced a child less than 17 years of age to engage in a sexual performance — and that you committed this offense in whole or substantial part for you own direct sexual gratification?” Tisne said in court.
“Yes,” the 38-year-old former math teacher from Harlem said.
Nguyen entered a plea regarding that count along with five charges related to the endangerment of a child’s welfare, all arising from actions taken between October 2022 and May 2024, according to a statement from the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office.
As court officers secured him in handcuffs, his attorney, Franklin Rothman, gently held the back of his neck and offered a reassuring pat on the back.
Subsequently, the bailiffs escorted him through a side exit.
Last July, Nguyen turned himself into law enforcement after prosecutors filed a 30-count criminal complaint alleging that he impersonated a teenage boy on Snapchat to engage in numerous sexual conversations with minors as young as 13.
According to prosecutors, he operated two Snapchat accounts to solicit nudes and request videos of sexual activities.
Nguyen preyed on at least six children from a group of four private schools in Brooklyn, including Saint Ann’s, according to prosecutors.
The agreement will result in a seven-year prison sentence, followed by an additional ten years of supervised release. He will be required to register as a sex offender.
Tisne is set to deliver a sentence for Nguyen on March 17.