CA-Sizhe "Steven" Weng, 30, Chinese national, USC grad, accused of serial rapes/drugging women, California, 2021- '25,*investigation includes Germany*

[dotr]

Richard Winton October 15, 2025 rbbm

USC grad student accused of serial rapes, drugging women in Southern California

LAPD police began investigating the student in January after German authorities reached out pertaining a similar investigation in Europe involving a Chinese national who they learned was a student living in Los Angeles for several years.

www.yahoo.com

''Sizhe "Steven" Weng has been charged with drugging and raping women between 2021 and 2024 while enrolled as a doctoral student at USC. (Richard Winton / Los Angeles Times)
''A USC graduate student is accused of being a serial sexual predator, using drugs to rape and assault multiple women, and authorities are looking for additional victims, Los Angeles police announced Wednesday.

Sizhe Weng, 30, is being held without bail after being arrested and charged with eight felony counts involving drug-facilitated sexual assaults of young women he met since beginning his graduate studies in 2021.

Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton said at a news conference that the Los Angeles Police Department began investigating Weng in January after German authorities reached out about a similar investigation in Europe involving a Chinese national who they learned was a student living in Los Angeles for several years. Eventually, the information gathered by LAPD and German authorities led to detectives serving a search warrant at Weng's home in South L.A. near the USC campus, Hamilton said.''

 

[dotr]

USC Ph.D. student, described as serial rapist, charged with drugging and sexually assaulting women

Sizhe Weng, a 30-year-old Chinese national, is accused of raping three women after putting drugs into their food or drinks and incapacitating them.

www.nbclosangeles.com

'As Weng's LinkedIn page showed that he was a teaching assistant at USC, he may have come in contact with more "younger women."
Detectives are also considering the possibility that Weng traveled outside the USC area to commit similar acts.
While LA officials were alerted by German police about drug-induced sex assaults, Weng is not believed to be involved in drug trafficking. '

Oct 16, 2025
The Los Angeles Police Department is asking for the public’s help in identifying additional victims of a University of Southern California grad student who is accused of drugging and sexually assaulting women. Rick Chambers reports Oct. 15, 2025.
rbbm

USC doctoral student charged with allegedly drugging, assaulting multiple women

Los Angeles County DA Nathan Hochman believes there may be more victims and encourages them to come forward.

www.cbsnews.com

''Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced on Wednesday that his office charged 30-year-old Sizhe Weng, also known as Steven Weng, for allegedly "placing incapacitating drugs" in the food and drinks of three women and then sexually assaulting them.

Weng is charged with one felony count of forcible rape, two felony counts of sodomy by controlled substance or anesthesia, one felony count of rape by controlled substance and four felony counts of sexual penetration by controlled substance or anesthesia''.
"We urge additional victims, whether you live locally or abroad, to contact the LAPD's Robbery-Homicide Division to report any suspected crimes," Hochman said.''

'Weng was arraigned on Sept. 2 and pleaded not guilty to all charges. The judge granted prosecutors' request to hold him without bail.
If Weng is convicted on all charges, he faces 25 years to life plus 56 years in state prison and would be required to register as a sex offender for life, according to the DA's office.
His next court date is scheduled for Jan. 14, 2026.'

 

[dotr]

Noting, not to be confused with this Chinese national suspect accused of similar attacks in Germany..
June 17, 2025

Man in Germany charged with serial rape after drugging victims

German prosecutors have charged a 43-year-old Chinese national with 22 offences, including attempted murder and aggravated rape after drugging victims, in some cases involving women he knew, prosecutors said on Tuesday.

www.reuters.com

''BERLIN, June 17 (Reuters) - German prosecutors have charged a 43-year-old Chinese national with 22 offences, including attempted murder and aggravated rape after drugging victims, in some cases involving women he knew, prosecutors said on Tuesday.
The accused, who was not identified, is suspected of sedating women with sleeping pills and raping them in eight cases. Some victims knew the defendant and were unaware of what was happening, prosecutors in Frankfurt said.''

 

[kcwyl]

The 2 cases are connected though. The German investigation against the Chinese rapist Dapeng Z whose trial started yesterday found ample evidence against Weng and shared this evidence with the FBI and LAPD.

Frauen betäubt und gefilmt: Angeklagter räumt Vorwürfe vor Gericht ein

Ein 44-jähriger Mann muss sich wegen einer Serie schwerer Gewalttaten gegen mehrere Frauen vor dem Landgericht Frankfurt verantworten. Er soll seine Opfer betäubt, vergewaltigt und dabei gefilmt haben. Zu Prozessbeginn räumte er die Vorwürfe ein.

www.hessenschau.de

I'm afraid there is no detailed report about the German investigation available in English but the connection is the following one:

"The man is alleged not only to have committed serious violent acts, but also to have discussed his methods with others via the messaging service Telegram.

According to the indictment, he was a member of a network where like‑minded individuals wrote about sexual assaults on unconscious women, exchanged instructions and experiences related to sedation and the crimes, and shared advice on how to obtain sedatives.

The 43‑year‑old is also said to have used this network to sell such substances to other chat participants who apparently intended to carry out similar offenses."

 

[CalliopeMuse]

The 2 cases are connected though. The German investigation against the Chinese rapist Dapeng Z whose trial started yesterday found ample evidence against Weng and shared this evidence with the FBI and LAPD.

Frauen betäubt und gefilmt: Angeklagter räumt Vorwürfe vor Gericht ein

Ein 44-jähriger Mann muss sich wegen einer Serie schwerer Gewalttaten gegen mehrere Frauen vor dem Landgericht Frankfurt verantworten. Er soll seine Opfer betäubt, vergewaltigt und dabei gefilmt haben. Zu Prozessbeginn räumte er die Vorwürfe ein.

www.hessenschau.de

I'm afraid there is no detailed report about the German investigation available in English but the connection is the following one:

"The man is alleged not only to have committed serious violent acts, but also to have discussed his methods with others via the messaging service Telegram.

According to the indictment, he was a member of a network where like‑minded individuals wrote about sexual assaults on unconscious women, exchanged instructions and experiences related to sedation and the crimes, and shared advice on how to obtain sedatives.

The 43‑year‑old is also said to have used this network to sell such substances to other chat participants who apparently intended to carry out similar offenses."

(BBM)
Ah. Thanks. The story makes more sense now. Shades of the demented Dominique Pelicot case. He could have been their hero. I hope they're able to identify more of the chat creeps participants.

 

[dotr]

The 2 cases are connected though. The German investigation against the Chinese rapist Dapeng Z whose trial started yesterday found ample evidence against Weng and shared this evidence with the FBI and LAPD.

Frauen betäubt und gefilmt: Angeklagter räumt Vorwürfe vor Gericht ein

Ein 44-jähriger Mann muss sich wegen einer Serie schwerer Gewalttaten gegen mehrere Frauen vor dem Landgericht Frankfurt verantworten. Er soll seine Opfer betäubt, vergewaltigt und dabei gefilmt haben. Zu Prozessbeginn räumte er die Vorwürfe ein.

www.hessenschau.de

I'm afraid there is no detailed report about the German investigation available in English but the connection is the following one:

"The man is alleged not only to have committed serious violent acts, but also to have discussed his methods with others via the messaging service Telegram.

According to the indictment, he was a member of a network where like‑minded individuals wrote about sexual assaults on unconscious women, exchanged instructions and experiences related to sedation and the crimes, and shared advice on how to obtain sedatives.

The 43‑year‑old is also said to have used this network to sell such substances to other chat participants who apparently intended to carry out similar offenses."

Welcome to Ws @kcwyl, thank you for the great information!

 

[dotr]

https://da.lacounty.gov/media/news/usc-phd-graduate-charged-multiple-drug-facilitated-sexual-assaults-2021

LADA believes there may be additional victims​

''LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has charged 30-year-old Sizhe Weng, also known as Steven Weng, with drugging and raping multiple women between 2021 and 2024 while enrolled as a doctoral student at the University of Southern California.

“No one should ever have to endure the trauma of being drugged, sexually assaulted and stripped of their ability to consent,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said. “Prosecutors in my office’s Sex Crimes Division and our law enforcement partners will not rest until the defendant is held accountable for these horrific acts. We want every victim to know that their voices matter and we will fight to ensure you are heard. We urge additional victims, whether you live locally or abroad, to contact the LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division to report any suspected crimes.”
Weng (dob 8/16/95) is charged in case 25CJCF05617 with one felony count of forcible rape; two felony counts of sodomy by controlled substance or anesthesia; one felony count of rape by controlled substance; and four felony counts of sexual penetration by controlled substance or anesthesia.
He is accused of raping three women after placing incapacitating drugs in their food and/or drinks.
Weng was arraigned on Sept. 2 and pleaded not guilty to all charges. The Court granted the prosecutors’ request to hold him without bail.
A preliminary hearing setting is scheduled for Jan. 14, 2026, in Department 31 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center.
If convicted as charged, Weng faces 25 years to life plus 56 years in California state prison. He would be required to register as a sex offender for life.
The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Catherine Mariano of the Sex Crimes Division and remains under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department.
Any additional victims are urged to contact the LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division at (213) 486-6890.
The charges filed in this case are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.''

​

 

[kcwyl]

(BBM)
Ah. Thanks. The story makes more sense now. Shades of the demented Dominique Pelicot case. He could have been their hero. I hope they're able to identify more of the chat creeps participants.

Yes, the German investigation even consulted the French Pelicot investigators to draw on their experience. After exhaustive cross‑checking, investigators found no direct links—only variations of a somnophile modus operandi (the compulsion to have intercourse with sleeping or otherwise incapacitated individuals).

Later in the year, several additional Chinese suspects were apprehended, and the intelligence gathered was shared with law‑enforcement agencies worldwide. The chief obstacle in these cases is victim identification. In most instances, the victims were sedated so profoundly that they remained completely unaware of the assault until they awoke, which meant they never reported the crime. Even when victims do approach the police, their statements are frequently recorded under unrelated offenses—such as home intrusion, robbery, or other non‑rape crimes—further obscuring the true nature of the violation. And to answer the question: wouldn't you feel it afterwards? Not if you were administered long-term painkillers intended for horses and cows.

A further complication is the scarcity of qualified Chinese translators. After detaining a suspect and seizing their phone in hopes of uncovering incriminating group‑chat evidence, the investigation must allocate thousands of euros for professional translation services. While the German investigation could meet this financial demand, many partner law‑enforcement agencies may find it prohibitive.

---

While the German investigation focused on Chinese suspects last year and this year, the phenomenon is not limited to Chinese by any means. There's a disturbing and sadly accurate documentary on YouTube you may or may not want to watch. Its in German but YouTube offers automatic subtitles into the language of your choice.