Zhi Alan Cheng, a 33-year-old gastroenterologist from New York City, stands accused of sexually abusing unconscious patients and drugging and raping women at his residence. Authorities report that these attacks were filmed. Cheng allegedly committed these assaults at the Flushing, Queens, branch of New York-Presbyterian Hospital, where he was employed, according to the Queens District Attorney’s Office.
Cheng is also accused of assaulting women at his apartment in Astoria, Queens, as well as in hotel rooms in Westchester County, Manhattan, Las Vegas, San Francisco, and Thailand.
Cheng was arraigned on a 50-count indictment on Monday, following his arrest on December 27. He is currently being held without bond at Riker’s Island. The charges include 10 counts of predatory sexual assault, three counts of first-degree rape, seven counts of first-degree sexual abuse, four counts of second-degree assault, three counts of first-degree criminal sexual act, 11 counts of second-degree unlawful surveillance, eight counts of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, and four counts of fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
Cheng was previously charged in an 11-count indictment following his December 27 arrest. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
A representative for the law office of Jeffrey Lichtman, which is representing Cheng, stated, “We recognize that the charges are incredibly serious. However, we have not had the opportunity to review the evidence with our client and, for that reason, we are unable to discuss the charges.”
Cheng graduated from Albany Medical School in 2016 and received his New York medical license in June 2020, according to state records. Investigators seized a variety of narcotics, including fentanyl, ketamine, cocaine, LSD, and MDMA from his apartment. Sedation drugs, including sevoflurane, were also seized.
Some of the recorded assaults allegedly involved women Cheng met on dating sites, while others occurred in a hospital setting. In one video from June 2021, Cheng can be seen touching an unconscious 19-year-old patient’s genitals and nipples, then pulling up one of her closed eyelids, according to the DA’s office.
Adam Slater, an attorney representing Cheng’s alleged 19-year-old victim, stated that the sexual abuse at the hospital system was “not isolated, but systemic.” He also claimed to have evidence that the hospital system knew about the assault and conspired to cover it up, never disclosing the incident to the victim or police.
A spokesperson for NewYork-Presbyterian told Fox News Digital that the hospital fired Cheng and banned him from hospital property “as soon as the district attorney made us aware of allegations of sexual abuse against this individual” in December 2022. The spokesperson also stated that the hospital has “numerous patient safety policies and protocols in place” and is working “to identify any opportunities for further strengthening” these policies. Additional training for all employees will be “immediately implemented.”