Shengjie Cheng

Before coming to the United States, he lived in Wuxi, China.

Upon arriving at the house, he seemed a bit suspicious, and when Chris Hansen appeared, he blanked out and needed to be told three times to remove his hands from his pockets. He was patted down by an officer before the interrogation could begin. Once he was deemed not dangerous, Chris began to question him, and he refused to tell him anything until he found out what was going on. When asked who he was coming to meet, Cheng replied with "someone who is definitely over 18."

He was one of 9 men arrested in this particular sting.

In August 2025, Cheng was indicted by a federal grand jury on a charge of attempted enticement of a minor. If convicted, he faces a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison as well as lifetime supervised release, a potential fine of up to $250,000, and deportation from the United States.

Cheng, through his attorney, filed a motion to dismiss the indictment, arguing that he was unfairly singled out for prosecution because of his ethnicity. In April 2026, a federal judge denied the motion, ruling that his being in the country on a student visa that explicitly forbade him from engaging in criminal activity gave the federal government further latitude to prosecute him.

A video of Cheng singing opera can be found online. Cheng sings in baritone. Cheng has performed opera in the United States, China, Italy, and Austria. He has two cats named Lucifer and Salome. Salome is both a biblical and operatic reference.