It's nearly impossible to disprove Trebek's claim that she had appeared on other game shows under different names. There were tons of shows. The tapes are surely mostly lost, and metadata like contestants' names wouldn't help.
Why else would Jeopardy have memory-holed her? The prize money is trivial compared to the other production costs. The game show industry was still coming out of the shadows of the cheating scandals, so their every incentive was to keep things on the up-and-up.
I also find her explanations unconvincing. Like really, the judge told you in chambers to take half the money because juries like Alex Trebek? That's just not how judges handle cases.
Why else would Jeopardy have memory-holed her? The prize money is trivial compared to the other production costs. The game show industry was still coming out of the shadows of the cheating scandals, so their every incentive was to keep things on the up-and-up.
I also find her explanations unconvincing. Like really, the judge told you in chambers to take half the money because juries like Alex Trebek? That's just not how judges handle cases.