A New York City gastroenterologist was arraigned on Aug. 7 in a 50-count indictment charging him with sexually abusing and raping at least six women, including his own patients.
Dr. Zhi Alan Cheng, 33, of Broadway in Astoria, was charged by New York prosecutors with sexually abusing three patients at the prestigious NewYork-Presbyterian Queens hospital, where he previously worked, and raping three other women in his home located in Queens.
He is also accused of drugging the women he allegedly raped in his apartment and filming the assaults, and filming his alleged sexual abuse of the hospital patients—all of whom appeared to be unconscious in videos recovered from his home—prosecutors said.
In addition to the victims who have been identified, the videos seized from Dr. Cheng’s home appeared to show more than six other women being sexually assaulted, including one at NewYork-Presbyterian Queens, the Queens District Attorney’s office said.
The doctor was indicted and arraigned by a grand jury on 10 counts of predatory sexual assault, three counts of rape in the first degree, seven counts of sexual abuse in the first degree, four counts of assault in the second degree, three counts of criminal sexual act in the first degree, 11 counts of unlawful surveillance in the second degree, eight counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree, and four counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree.
If found guilty, he faces multiple 25 years to life sentences in prison.
‘Sexual Predator of the Absolute Worst Kind’
“The recovered evidence compiled paints the picture of a sexual predator of the absolute worst kind, a serial rapist, someone willing to not only violate his sacred professional oath and patients’ trust, but every standard of human decency, as well,” District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement. “We will present the facts to a jury and achieve justice for the victims of the horrific assaults captured on video.”Dr. Cheng was previously indicted in December for allegedly drugging and raping a female acquaintance in his apartment in Queens.
At that time, he was charged with two counts of rape in the first degree, criminal sexual act in the first degree, two counts of assault in the second degree, two counts of sexual abuse in the first degree, and four counts of unlawful surveillance in the second degree.
He was ultimately suspended by the state from practicing as a doctor and has been held without bail since.
Dr. Cheng has pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him.
According to the latest indictment against Dr. Cheng, one of his alleged victims was a 19-year-old female who was scheduled to undergo a test ordered by Dr. Cheng at the hospital around June 2021. However, prosecutors said video footage showed the young woman with her gown open, her breasts exposed, and her underwear lowered.
Dr. Cheng can be seen touching her inappropriately as she lays unconscious and “has no reaction to what is being done to her,” prosecutors said.
Women Have ‘No Memory of the Events’
Dr. Cheng is also accused of targeting a 37-year-old woman at the hospital between March 2021 and June 2021. Video footage shows the woman “laying apparently unconscious as her breasts and genitals are groped,” as the doctor checks to see if she is awake by pulling up her eyelids, prosecutors said.Meanwhile, video footage also obtained from Dr. Cheng’s residence allegedly shows an unconscious woman laying on his bed as he engages in sexual conduct with her, according to prosecutors. The woman met Dr. Cheng through an online dating site sometime around 2021, they said.
“She appears to have a tissue over her face in some videos. A brown bottle is seen on the bed similar to one containing the anesthetic sevoflurane that was seized from his home. The woman has no memory of the events,” the Queens District Attorney’s office said.
Further video footage allegedly shows Dr. Cheng raping multiple other women at his apartment while they appear to be unconscious. None of the women have any memory of the events, prosecutors said.
More video footage also shows other unidentified women being sexually assaulted at Dr. Cheng’s New York apartment as well as his homes in Westchester County, Manhattan, Las Vegas, and in and around San Francisco and in Thailand, according to officials.
The investigation remains ongoing and police are urging more potential victims to come forward.
In a separate press release Monday, lawyers for one of Dr. Cheng’s alleged victims, the 19-year-old woman identified only as “Jane Doe,” announced they had filed a lawsuit against the NewYork-Presbyterian Queens on behalf of their client alleging the hospital knew Dr. Cheng had sexually assaulted her and conspired to cover it up.
‘Heinous, Despicable’ Crimes
Later that same evening, he allegedly used an employee identification tag to unlock a door to the stairwell near the victim’s room, according to the lawsuit, where he proceeded to inject her with an unknown drug or substance and sexually assaulted her.When she informed hospital staff about the injection that caused her to lose consciousness, the hospital conducted a lineup of male employees, and the victim identified Dr. Cheng as the man who injected her, according to the suit.
However, the hospital allegedly did not inform police about the incident, make any notes about the lineup in medical records, or suspend or terminate Dr. Cheng, the complaint states. Further, the hospital did not collect any forensic evidence, including the robe or bedsheets, did not test the victim’s blood to determine what she was injected with, or offer her sufficient and timely support services, the complaint adds.
“Our client fully expected when she was admitted to NewYork-Presbyterian that she would be treated with the care and skill required and expected of a world-class hospital system in New York State,” said Nicholas Liakas, a lawyer for the victim.
“Instead, by the time she was discharged five days later, she had been injected with an unknown drug, rendered unconscious, and was filmed being violently sexually assaulted by Dr. Zhi Alan Cheng. What’s more, we have evidence that the hospital system knew our client had been sexually assaulted and conspired to cover it up, never disclosing the incident to the victim or police.” he continued. “Worse, they permitted Dr. Cheng to continue to treat our client after the assault and employed him for nearly a year after. Given his predatory behavior, we strongly suspect that he assaulted other patients and urge them to come forward.”
A spokesperson for NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement that Dr. Cheng was fired in December 2022 and banned from hospital property.
“As caregivers, we are responsible for the safety and wellbeing of our patients—it is a sacred trust. The crimes committed by this individual are heinous, despicable, and a fundamental betrayal of our mission and our patients’ trust,” the spokesperson said. “We are appalled and deeply saddened by what these victims and their families have endured.”
“We have been fully cooperating with the Queens District Attorney’s office, the NYPD, and the NYS Department of Health. We have numerous stringent patient safety policies and protocols in place and our exhaustive review of this matter included an analysis of compliance with those policies, as well as the immediate implementation of additional training for all employees. At the same time, we have been examining the full breadth of our protections to identify any opportunities for further strengthening, in line with our unwavering commitment to the highest standard of patient safety and care,” the spokesperson added.
