NYC doctor accused of drugging and videotaping sexual assaults on patients
NYC doctor charged with raping and assaulting women, some of whom were his patients; videos of the attacks found.
A 33-year-old gastroenterologist from New York City is facing multiple charges for allegedly raping and sexually assaulting several women, some of whom were his patients at a hospital in Queens.
Zhi Alan Cheng, who worked at New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital, was arraigned on Monday on a 50-count indictment that accuses him of raping three women at his apartment in Astoria and sexually abusing three patients at the hospital between June 2020 and December 2022.
Cheng was arrested and fired from his hospital back in December after a woman reported him to the cop for allegedly drugging, raping, and videotaping her at his apartment.
The new indictment, announced by Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, also alleges that Cheng not only used drugs to sedate and assault women, but also recorded himself doing so.
These videos were found by investigators after one alleged victim discovered the recordings in the gastroenterologist’s apartment. It included a video of herself and other women being assaulted, according to the statement released by District Attorney Katz’s office.
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Authorities also said that they seized narcotics, including fentanyl, ketamine, cocaine, LSD, and MDMA, and hospital sedatives, such as propofol and sevoflurane, when they searched Cheng’s apartment.
The evidence listed by the D.A.’s office includes the video of Cheng at the hospital groping a 19-year-old patient, a “seriously ill” 47-year-old patient, and engaging in sexual intercourse and abuse.
While he is currently being charged based on video evidence depicting the abuse of six women, the D.A. alleges that there is more video evidence that shows Cheng assaulted other women in Westchester County, Manhattan, Las Vegas, in and around San Francisco, and Thailand.
Cheng’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Lawsuits have been initiated against the employers of Cheng in civil court
Two legal firms, Liakas Law, P.C., and Slater Slater Schulman LLP, filed a civil suit related to the case against the New York and Presbyterian Hospital and New York-Presbyterian/Queens in June, alleging that Cheng’s employers failed to take proper action to address and prevent further abuse. The firms filed on behalf of Cheng’s 19-year-old victim, who alleges that she complained to the hospital in June 2021 after Cheng performed an abnormally intrusive exam on her and later entered her room to give her “a painful injection that caused her to lose consciousness.”
According to a media statement from the firms, their client identified Cheng in a lineup conducted by the hospital, but the hospital then failed to collect forensic evidence, notify police, take proper medical notes or suspend or terminate Cheng. This litigation is still ongoing.
In a statement provided by USA TODAY, New York-Presbyterian said, “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. We are appalled and deeply saddened by what these victims and their families have endured.
"In December 2022, as soon as the District Attorney made us aware of allegations of sexual abuse against this individual, he was immediately placed off duty, banned from hospital property, and terminated.”
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The doc’s criminal charges include several counts of sexual assault, rape, assault, unlawful surveillance, and criminal possession.
If convicted, he faces multiple sentences of 25 years to life, according to the D.A.’s office.
“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 patient’s trust, but every standard of human decency, as well,” the statement read.
“We will present the facts to a jury and achieve justice for the victims of the horrific assaults captured on video.”
