According to the Queens District Attorney’s Office, a New York City Gastroenterologist, Zhi Alan Cheng, was arraigned on a 50-count indictment on August 7, 2023, for sexually abusing three female patients at New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital in Flushing and raping three other women in his Queens home. The DA also accused Cheng of drugging women to rape and sexually assault them while filming himself committing the acts.
Media reports say that Cheng, 33, was first arrested in December 2022 and terminated from his position at the hospital of where he had worked since 2020 after a woman reported to NYPD for allegedly drugging and raping her at his apartment. During the investigation, videos were recovered after one alleged victim discovered the recordings in Cheng’s apartment, which included a recording of herself and other women being assaulted. Other videos found show Cheng at the hospital groping a 19-year-old patient, a “seriously ill” 47-year-old patient, and engaging in sexual intercourse and abuse with multiple women at his apartment, all unconscious and sedated at the time. The reports also say that investigators found narcotics, including fentanyl, ketamine, cocaine, LSD, MDMA, and sedatives used in hospitals, such as propofol and sevoflurane, in Cheng’s apartment.
Although Cheng is currently being charged based on the evidence depicting the abuse of six women, the Queens District Attorney believes there could be more victims in Westchester County, Manhattan, Las Vegas, San Francisco, and Thailand.
District Attorney Melinda Katz said, “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. We will present the facts to a jury and achieve justice for the victims of the horrific assaults captured on video.”
Cheng was indicted by a grand jury and arraigned on ten 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. Cheng was charged in a previous 11-count indictment, after his arrest on December 27, 2022, 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. Cheng’s ability to practice medicine has been suspended by New York state. He has been held without bail since his arrest and faces multiple 25 years to life sentences. The investigation is ongoing.
Details Of Abuse By Zhi Alan Cheng
According to the new evidence reported in the District Attorney’s press release:
Hospital Victim 1: A 19-year-old female scheduled to undergo a test ordered by Cheng is seen on a video, shot sometime around June 2021, with her gown open, her breasts exposed, and her underwear lowered. Fingers touch her genitals and nipple, and then the eyelid on one of her closed eyes is pulled up. Hospital Victim 1 appears unconscious and has no reaction to what is being done to her.
Hospital Victim 2: A 47-year-old woman who was seriously ill is seen on a video, recorded sometime around May 2022, in an apparently unconscious state as her breasts and genitals are groped, an ungloved finger is inserted into her mouth, and one of her closed eyelids is pulled open.
Hospital Victim 3: A 37-year-old woman who was a hospital patient sometime between March 2021 and June 2021 is seen on video laying apparently unconscious as her breasts and genitals are groped. Additionally, one of her closed eyelids is pulled open.
Apartment Victim 2: A woman who met Cheng through an online dating site is seen on video sometime around July 2021, apparently unconscious in his bed as Cheng engages in sexual conduct with her. 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.
Apartment Victim 3: A woman who met Cheng through an online dating site in the spring of 2022 is seen on numerous videos in his bedroom. She is apparently unconscious as Cheng engages in acts of sexual intercourse and other sexual abuse. She has no memory of the events.
Apartment Victim 4: A female acquaintance of Cheng’s who spent several nights at his apartment from 2020 to 2022 is seen on videos apparently unconscious as Cheng commits acts of sexual intercourse and abuse. Cheng is seen handling a brown bottle similar to the one seized from his apartment containing the anesthetic sevoflurane. The woman has no memory of the events.
In addition to the hospital victims already identified, another patient who is unidentified appears in a video similar to those involving Hospital Victims 1, 2, and 3.
Finding the right medical provider can be challenging. We seek out seasoned professionals who possess a good bedside manner, compassion, and empathy. When we do finally decide on one, we hope to feel better over time, not be violated by the very person with whom we place our trust. It is both unacceptable and unlawful for a healthcare professional to touch a patient in any sexual manner or practice any sexual misconduct while treating the patient. We also expect hospitals and employees of healthcare professionals to do their background checks and due diligence when hiring staff to treat patients.
Horowitz Law has filed numerous sexual misconduct claims against healthcare professionals on behalf of clients who were sexually assaulted at hospitals, private practices, sleep centers, and rehab centers. If you have been a victim of sexual assault or sexual battery while under the care of a healthcare provider, or if you know someone who has, please contact our law firm at (888) 283-9922 or send an e-mail to sexual abuse lawyer Adam Horowitz at [email protected] for a free consultation.