BOSTON — A suspected serial rapist who works in Boston’s Financial District has been ordered held on $1 million bail in connection with a string of violent assaults that date back nearly 20 years.
Ivan Cheung, 42, of Quincy, was arraigned Tuesday in Boston Municipal Court on charges including four counts of aggravated rape, four counts of aggravated rape of a child, and two counts of aggravated statutory rape, according to the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office.
Cheung was the vice president at State Street Bank, a spokesperson for the district attorney’s office said. In a statement, a State Street spokesperson said Tuesday afternoon that Cheung’s employment had been terminated.
Prosecutors alleged that Cheung raped two girls and two women between 2003 and 2006.
In 2003, Cheung picked up a 13-year-old in Chinatown, drove her to a different location, then raped her at knifepoint and stabbed her in the shoulder, Assistant District Attorney Ian Polumbaum told the court. About a week later, he allegedly picked up a 14-year-old in the Charles Circle area, drove to another location, and raped and stabbed her.
About two years later, Polumbaum said Cheung picked up a 23-year-old in the Park Plaza area, held a knife to her throat, then raped her and stabbed her numerous times. In 2006, Cheung is said to have picked up an 18-year-old in the North End and raped her at knifepoint.
In a statement, DA Kevin Hayden said, “If Mr. Cheung thought that the passage of years had somehow erased the possibility of him facing justice for these vicious crimes, he was very much mistaken. The detectives who worked this case deserve enormous credit for staying the course and bringing him in to face these charges.”
Investigators used new technology to link Cheung to the alleged crimes through DNA lifted off cigarette butts Cheung was smoking outside South Bay.
With the help of a rape kit, police matched up that DNA and took Cheung into custody just after 5 p.m. Monday.
“Sometimes it just takes time and breaks like this for this to come together,” said Polumbaum.
Police attributed the arrest to new technology thanks to a grant program. Boston police received a $2.5 million grant in 2021 to further investigate sexual assault crimes. That included creating a team to specifically review 100 unsolved sexual assault cases.
Boston police also utilized the new technology this past spring to arrest another man, 40-year-old Irving Pierre, of Roslindale, in connection with incidents that date back to 2007 and 2013.
“This case presents complicated factual legal and forensic challenges and we are going to prepare to aggressively meet all those,” said Cheung’s attorney, Peter Parker.
An investigation remains ongoing. Cheung is due back in court on Tuesday.
Judge set Cheung’s bail at $1M. State Street told us Cheung was immediately suspended pending further investigation.
— Robert Goulston (@rgoulston) September 13, 2022
Ivan Cheung, a VP for State Street Bank, appeared in court on multiple rape charges. Prosecutors say they were able to connect him to some of the crimes after they got his DNA when detectives grabbed cigarette butts after developing him as suspect. The rapes happened years ago.
— Robert Goulston (@rgoulston) September 13, 2022
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