In a case reported in the Queens community, Dr. Zhi Alan Cheng, a gastroenterologist, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of rape and sexual abuse, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. Cheng admitted to assaulting both acquaintances and female hospital patients, a betrayal exacerbated by his sworn duty as a medical professional to do no harm. As reported by the Queens District Attorney's Office, Cheng filmed these vile acts against his unconscious victims in his apartment and at NewYork-Presbyterian Queens hospital where he worked.
The defendant, now 35, entered his guilty plea to four counts of rape in the first degree and three counts of sexual abuse in the first degree, satisfying the consolidated indictments against him. Cheng, from Astoria, also entered an Alford plea to one count of sexual abuse, as stated in a press release by the Queens District Attorney's Office. Set to be sentenced on August 28 to 24 years in prison by Queens Supreme Court Justice Ushir Pandit-Durant, Cheng has been held without bail since his arrest in 2022, and his medical license has been currently suspended.
District Attorney Katz acknowledged the immense courage of the victims, particularly the one who first came forward, sparking an investigation that would uncover the extent of Cheng's crimes. “Following a strong case built by members of my Special Victims Bureau, the defendant admitted guilt in raping unconscious victims in his apartment and sexually abusing sedated patients in the hospital on numerous occasions," Katz said in the press release. "We hope the guilty plea allows all the victims to continue to heal."
The initial arrest of Dr. Cheng occurred on December 27, 2022, when an acquaintance found videos of her and other women being sexually assaulted by Cheng and approached the Queens District Attorney's office with the evidence—videos that would later lead to the seizure of illegal drugs and storage devices containing additional footage of the abuse at Cheng's home. An investigation followed, spearheaded by the District Attorney's Special Victims Bureau in collaboration with New York-Presbyterian Queens, ultimately leading to a 50-count indictment in August 2023 and additional charges in March 2024 after more victims came forward.
Senior Assistant District Attorney Brianne Richards, along with her prosecution team, is handling the case. Cheng's heinous acts included sexually abusing multiple female patients under sedation at the hospital on various occasions between March 2021 and May 2022, and raping unconscious acquaintances, some of whom he had met through an online dating site.
