Boston Serial Rape Suspect Arrested, Thanks to DNA From Cigarette, DA Says

A Boston bank employee suspected of rape in incidents dating back over 15 years was arrested Monday night, police said.

The Boston Police Department's Fugitive Unit and Sexual Assault Unit arrested 42-year-old Ivan Y. Cheung of Quincy just after 5 p.m. Monday on four outstanding warrants, according to Boston police.

He is accused of raping two girls, aged 13 and 14, and two women at knifepoint in 2003, 2005 and 2006. Prosecutors said Cheung stabbed three of them.

Cheung was held on $1 million bail during a hearing in Boston Municipal Court Tuesday.

Resources for victims of sexual assault are available through the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673.

Cheung was an employee at the Boston bank and financial services company State Street, which said Tuesday evening that they made the decision to terminate him.

BREAKING: Ivan Cheung held on $1 million bail. He did not show his face in court. Prosecutors say he raped several women at knifepoint including two children (13 and 14 year old). Allegations date back to 2003. He’s also accused of stabbing his victims. @NBC10Boston

— Abbey Niezgoda NBC10 Boston (@AbbeyNBCBoston) September 13, 2022

Prosecutors said they were able to tie Cheung to the crimes based on DNA evidence taken from a cigarette he was smoking. Investigators watching Cheung in June saw him smoking a cigarette near the South Bay Mall and picked it up after he tossed it.

That DNA and a sexual assault evidence collection kit linked him to the rapes of the two women, authorities said. The similarity to the two teenage cases, along with the description of Cheung's car, linked him to the other cases.

In the 2003 attack, Cheung allegedly picked up a 13-year-old gilr in Chinatown, drove her elsewhere and raped her at knifepoint before stabbing her. A week later, he allegedly did the same with a 14-year-old he picked up in Charles Circle.

Cheung's next victim, prosecutors say, was a 23-year-old picked up near Park Plaza in 2005 and stabbed repeatedly after the knifepoint sexual assault. And the next year, Cheung allegedly raped an 18-year-old he picked up in the North End at knife point.

The investigation is ongoing, and additional charges are possible, police said.