New York City doctor pleads guilty to sexually abusing patients in hospital

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Warning: This article contains graphic details.

NEW YORK — A doctor pleaded guilty Monday to sexually abusing sedated patients at his New York City hospital and raping women who were unconscious at his home.

Zhi Alan Cheng admitted to abusing seven women, including three female patients he was treating at New York-Presbyterian Queens hospital, the Queens district attorney’s office said.

Cheng, now 35, was arrested in 2022 after a female acquaintance discovered a video of him abusing her at his home while she was passed out. Searches of his home and devices uncovered video evidence of the doctor abusing women at his home and workplace, according to prosecutors. They also discovered liquid anesthesia.

He has remained in jail and has been barred from practicing medicine. Cheng faces up to 24 years in prison at sentencing, prosecutors said.

“The level of violence and perversion displayed by Zhi Alan Cheng in sexually abusing multiple victims is compounded by the fact that he took an oath to do no harm as a medical professional,” said District Attorney Melinda Katz. “I thank the brave victim who initially came forward and exposed this abuse.”

Prosecutors alleged Cheng abused an eighth woman who was a patient at the hospital. He entered an Alford plea on that charge, meaning that he did not admit guilt but acknowledged that prosecutors have enough evidence to convict them.

Most of the victims had no memory of the abuse and were sedated. One of the women woke up to in the middle of an assault after she had been sedated for a gastrointestinal procedure, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors have said that New York-Presbyterian officials cooperated in the criminal investigation.

“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 the patients’ trust. We are deeply sorry for all that the victims and their families have endured,” New York-Presbyterian hospital spokesperson Angela Karafazli said in a statement.

Chen’s attorney, Jeffrey Einhorn, thanked prosecutors for the plea agreement and said: “The charges to which Mr. Cheng has pleaded guilty today are extraordinarily serious.”

The Associated Press