Who is Zhi Alan Cheng? Doctor Accused of Drugging, Raping Victims on Camera

A doctor at a New York hospital filmed himself drugging and sexually assaulting patients, and also raping other women at his home, prosecutors have alleged.

Dr. Zhi Alan Cheng, 33, worked at the New York Presbyterian Queens Hospital, when he was accused of rape by an ex-girlfriend who told police that she had stumbled across a video of her own assault.

Detectives opened an investigation and are reported to have found footage of attacks on other women. Cheng was fired upon his arrest in December. He finally appeared in court in Queens on Monday where he was hit with a number of charges relating to six women. He has denied the charges.

Investigators fear there may be further victims across the U.S. and abroad, some of whom may be unaware they were raped because they were fully unconscious when the attack began. And a further six women allegedly found in footage stored on Cheng's hard drive have not yet been identified, according to ABC 7.

The investigation into Cheng comes as the U.S. has been rocked by the arrests of other well-heeled professional men accused of preying on women. Attorney Matthew Nilo, 35, stands accused of multiple kidnappings and rapes in Boston, Massachusetts.

Chiropractor Joel Martens, 31, is facing charges of sexually abusing a 16-year-old patient "more than 100 times" in South Dakota. Respected architect Rex Heuermann, 59, is accused of being the Gilgo Beach serial killer, who murdered sex workers in Long Island, New York, in a reign of terror lasting years.

The authorities first began investigating Cheng, a gastroenterologist, in December 2022 when his girlfriend alleged he drugged her in his Astoria home by covering her mouth with a surgical mask stuffed with cotton balls soaked with an unknown liquid. She later found a horrifying video revealing the assault, she told police.

Prosecutors claim that investigators found numerous drugs at Cheng's home, including surgical anesthesia, fentanyl, ketamine, and LSD. The videos found in Cheng's possession allegedly suggest he assaulted women across New York, Las Vegas, San Francisco, and even in Thailand, according to the New York Post.

Cheng was arraigned and indicted on three counts of rape, 10 counts of predatory sexual assault, seven for sexual abuse, and four counts of assault, prosecutors announced on Monday. The charges relate to six female victims.

The accused, who is being held on Rikers Island, pleaded not guilty and his attorney, Jeffrey Einhorn, told reporters afterwards that it was too early to comment on the case.

Newsweek reached out to Einhorn through his website seeking further information and comment on Tuesday.

"It's always difficult when you find anyone is a victim. It is always difficult to find out after the fact. You know, some might have known, some might have had a feeling, some had no Idea. I can't really talk in details about each of the victims, but I will tell you that it has been a traumatic type of case all around," Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said.

Newsweek has reached out to the DA for further comment.

The youngest known victim was just 19, while the eldest was 47.

The teenager is being represented by Nicholas Liakis, who alleges that Cheng drugged his client through an IV drip and raped her in her hospital bed in an attack he filmed on his cell phone.

"Having to go to the district attorney's office and see a video of yourself unconscious, getting assaulted, after being drugged is[...]you know, that's unimaginable to deal with, so she's taking it day by day," he told ABC 7.

The former patient spoke to NBC New York on condition of anonymity and said she and her mom feared she may have been raped at the time of the alleged assault in June 2021. She said the hospital initially took her complaint seriously and launched an investigation, but said it later fizzled out.

"That investigation, if you want to call it [that], hit a dead end," said Liakas, who has filed a civil lawsuit on his client's behalf. He added: "For someone to rise to this level where you are drugging and raping a person, that doesn't happen overnight. You have essentially a predator in a white coat."

Newsweek reached out to the hospital by email on Tuesday seeking comment on the allegations that staff did not do enough to investigate her complaint.

New York Presbyterian released a statement on Monday saying they are fully cooperating with the DA, the New York Police Department and the New York State Department of Health.

The hospital said the doctor concerned was fired in December 2022 and added: "As caregivers, we are responsible for the safety and well-being 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."