Sentence In Chappaqua Revenge Shooting

CHAPPAQUA, NY — A disgraced assistant professor has been sentenced in a revenge shooting that severely injured the dean of the medical school from which he had been fired. The Tuckahoe researcher was sentenced to 28 years in prison Wednesday, Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. announced.

Hengjun Chao, 50, had been found guilty in a jury trial in June of:

• one count of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, a class “B” Felony
• one count of Criminal Use of a Firearm in the First Degree, a class “B” Felony
• one count of Assault in the First Degree, a class “B” Felony

Dr. Chao said during the trial that he was trying to expose fraud, according to The Journal News. That fraud apparently pertained to a controversy at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.

Dr. Chao, 50, had been a research assistant professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He was fired in May 2009 by a committee that included Dr. Dennis Charney, who is the dean of the medical school.
Dr. Chao accused a colleague of falsifying data; the school in turn accused him of the same thing.

However, Retraction Watch reported that the Office of Research Integrity at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services decided not to pursue findings of research misconduct. The blog cited an ORI investigator who said the school's investigation report was “inadequate, seriously flawed and grossly unfair in dealing with Dr. Chao."

Chao sued over the firing but lost on appeal.

At 7:56 a.m. Aug. 29, 2016, Chao parked in the Walgreen’s parking lot on King Street in Chappaqua. He was waiting for the victim to exit Lange’s Deli, a business that's a town landmark and also a favorite eatery for local luminaries such as former President Bill Clinton.

Video surveillance evidence showed Chao had stalked Charney for several days prior to the shooting.

When Charney left the deli, Chao retrieved a loaded shotgun from the trunk of his car. He walked towards Charney, took aim and fired one shot, hitting him in the shoulder and chest. He remained there and was subsequently arrested by New Castle Police officers.

Charney was hospitalized for five days.

The sentence included 23 years for the attempted murder, two years short of the maximum sentence, plus five years (the maximum) for the weapons charge. They are to be served consecutively, according to the DA's office.

The defendant was remanded into the custody of the New York State Department of
Corrections. Assistant District Attorney Christine O’Connor and Assistant District Attorney Daniel Flecha of the Superior Court Trial Division prosecuted the case.