Overview

• Queens Supreme Court Justice Ushir Pandit-Durant imposed a 24-year prison term, followed by 10 years of post-release supervision and mandatory sex-offender registration.
• Cheng pleaded guilty in June to four counts of first-degree rape, three counts of first-degree sexual abuse, and an additional sexual-abuse count tied to assaults on eight women.
• Police and prosecutors said seized videos showed assaults on unconscious patients and acquaintances, and a search found anesthetics and drugs including ketamine and fentanyl.
• The judge said the crimes warranted more time, while District Attorney Melinda Katz emphasized the plea spared victims from testifying at a public trial.
• Victims and attorney Nicholas Liakas criticized the sentence and are pursuing civil claims against NewYork-Presbyterian/Queens, which issued an apology and said it cooperated with investigators; the hospital had fired Cheng in 2022 and he later lost his medical license.