A Queens doctor convicted of drugging and sexually assaulting seven women at a NYC hospital and his home — and filming the attacks — also groped a patient on life support, The Post has learned.
The 47-year-old woman, identified as “victim 2” in the case of the monster molestor, was on her death bed at New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital in May 2022 when Dr. Zhi Alan Cheng recorded himself grabbing her breasts and genitals, according to court papers.
The sicko doc pleaded guilty in June to four counts of first-degree rape and three counts of first-degree sexual abuse, and was sentenced in August to 24 years behind bars.
“He recorded himself sexually assaulting the woman who was unconscious on a ventilator and a feeding tube and nearing the end of her life,” said lawyer Nicholas Liakas, whose namesake firm sued the Flushing hospital in 2023 on behalf of four of Cheng’s victims.
After she died, the family decided not to move forward with a lawsuit out of a desire for privacy, Liakas said.
But his firm continues to demand accountability from the hospital and for a larger investigation into the scope of the crimes.
One of the victims was a 19-year-old at the hospital for gallbladder removal, who was allegedly groped by Cheng in June 2021 after he snuck into her pediatric-ward room, according to hospital documents referenced in court records and provided by the firm.
Security footage showed “an individual in blue scrubs . . . entering the unit,” according to the records. He told the patient he was a stomach doctor and injected her IV with something, the documents said. Cheng also recorded that attack, the documents showed.
Cheng was in the room for 19 minutes. The teenager woke up feeling like “someone was twisting and pulling in her lower abdomen” and “doesn’t remember what happened to her,” according to the records.
“They did their own lineup in the hospital and they didn’t call the police,” Liakas’ law partner, Cassandra Rohme, alleged. “They covered it up.”
The teen and her mother didn’t even learn she was sexually assaulted until they were called to appear at the Queens District Attorney’s Office in April 2024.
The law firm is demanding New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital notify all of Cheng’s patients that they may be victims.
The attorneys also want an investigation into where Cheng got the drugs he used to sedate his victims — accusing him of using “contaminated syringes diverted from other patients on his victims to render them unconscious,” according to a letter the lawyers sent asking a judge to reject Cheng’s plea agreement.
A mother-of-four told The Post she was in the hospital for a routine procedure in 2021 when she awoke to find Cheng assaulting her with his hands.
“I was coming to and … he had the curtains drawn and he was vaginally penetrating me,” the 53-year-old told The Post. “I was shocked because I was there for a colonoscopy, which has nothing to do with your vaginal area.”
She said she tried to tell a nurse but the caregiver turned her back and walked away.
“I get flashbacks,” said the woman, who asked to remain anonymous. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get a colonoscopy again.”
Four victims were listed as Jane Does in separate 2023 lawsuits against the doctor, the hospital and its employees in Queens Supreme Court. The cases are ongoing.
“We’re asking for somebody else to investigate,” Rohme said. “It can’t just be us who’s trying to change things so that it’s safer for people in Queens to go to the hospital.”
A hospital spokeswoman called the crimes “horrific” and said “we are deeply sorry for all that the victims and their families have endured.
“We worked closely with law enforcement and with the District Attorney’s office to advance this investigation and see that justice is served,” the statement said. “Significant enhancements have been put in place to reinforce patient safety, including further strengthening our escalation, investigation, and chaperone policies, together with mandatory training and additional staffing.”
A spokesperson for Queens DA Melinda Katz pointed out that Cheng was sentenced to 24 years in prison and 10 years of post-release supervision.
“The aims of an ethical, fair, and effective prosecution are to hold a defendant accountable for his crimes, to provide justice for his victims, and to protect the public,” a statement from the office reads. “Those goals were achieved.”
