A disgraced former West Point cadet has pleaded guilty to felony assault after drugging his pregnant girlfriend and forcing abortion pills on her, and is now awaiting sentencing while enrolled at Columbia University.
Caleb T. Suh, the son of US Department of Veterans Affairs Chief of Staff Dr. Ryung Suh, admitted in federal court that he tricked his then-girlfriend into drinking a sedative-laced smoothie in 2022. The woman, also a West Point cadet, had discovered she was pregnant that year while the pair were dating after meeting at the military academy in 2020.
Suh was staunchly opposed to the pregnancy and “even threatened to commit suicide if she did not terminate the pregnancy,” according to the lawsuit filed by his former girlfriend. While feigning support, he obtained abortion pills by stealing her identity and opening a fake account with an online pharmacy, ordering the drugs in her name and having them shipped to West Point.
“I also obtained Xanax through a friend,” Suh admitted in his guilty plea. “My intent was [to] use the Xanax to unwittingly sedate my girlfriend so that I could then administer the abortion pills, which I had obtained via the online pharmacy.”
He sought guidance on the pharmacy’s online forum, including asking “[W]ill I feel the pills in my vaginia?”
Suh presented the drink as a “special pregnancy protein powder,” but it was loaded with Xanax and Promethazine. When the woman recoiled at the taste, he pressed the bottle against her lips and forced her to finish it, court papers state.
She grew violently ill and drifted in and out of consciousness. During that time, Suh allegedly began touching her vagina. She found two pills in her mouth and spat them out, but he forced them back in.
“Eat this,” he allegedly told her. “It’s good for you.”
When she woke, she was bleeding heavily and tried calling Suh, who did not answer. She dialed 911 instead, and doctors confirmed she was miscarrying. She underwent a D&C procedure to remove the fetal remains.
While ignoring her calls, Suh continued posting on the pharmacy forums about whether doctors would “see the remaining pills” in her vagina, the lawsuit said.
The couple broke up soon after. Suh went on to complete a bachelor’s degree at Cornell University in 2024, studying emergency medicine and stating his goal was to “become a physician leader committed to advancing both patient care and structural equity.” He enrolled at Columbia University’s public-health master’s program in Manhattan for the fall 2024 semester.
A source with knowledge of the situation said Columbia had been unaware of Suh’s criminal conviction until media inquiries began, noting that applications do not require disclosure of criminal history. After learning of his past, the school “took swift action,” though the source did not elaborate.
Suh was charged in Manhattan Federal Court before his first Columbia semester and pleaded guilty in June. Several weeks ago, he successfully requested to delay sentencing until January so he could finish his semester uninterrupted. Prosecutors are seeking two years in prison.
“For years, Ms. Doe has been forced to grapple with her experience,” the lawsuit states. “Ms. Doe’s life has been irreparably changed, and she has lost a baby that she intended to keep. Meanwhile, Defendant Suh matriculated at Cornell University, earned a Bachelor’s degree, and is now enrolled at Columbia University.”
Her attorney, Russell Kornblith, said in a statement, “As a parent it is difficult not to be incredibly emotionally drained by thinking about what our client has experienced both by the loss of a pregnancy she intended to keep and being robbed of autonomy over her own body.”
The woman is permitted to remain anonymous for now, though a judge could later order her name made public if Suh makes a successful case for it. It remains unclear whether either Suh or the woman graduated from West Point.
Suh was represented by lawyer Thomas Kenniff, who previously defended Daniel Penny, the former Marine acquitted in the deadly chokehold of Jordan Neely on a Manhattan subway.
Suh’s sentencing is scheduled for January in Manhattan.