DA Reopens Probe Into Cornell Frat Brothers Accused of Drugging, Gang-Raping Student

Prosecutors in central New York have reopened an investigation into allegations that seven Cornell University fraternity members drugged and gang-raped a former student in 2024. Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten stated that his office is considering criminal charges following the resurfacing of a civil lawsuit detailing the incident.

The lawsuit names Matthew Ingalls, Johnathan Newell, Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, Diego Sarabia, Scott Norris, and Scott Kretzschmar as defendants. It alleges that the victim, identified as Jane Doe, was coerced into taking drugs and subsequently assaulted and raped at the Chi Phi fraternity house on the Cornell campus. The suit also claims that Newell sent a Snapchat message to a group called “Chi Phi Actives” referencing “free p***y” on the night of the alleged assault.

Van Houten told ABC News that the allegations in the civil complaint differ significantly from the victim’s initial statement to authorities after the alleged incident occurred. "It’s our intention to present the case to the Tompkins County grand jury with Jane Doe’s cooperation," Van Houten said. "We want to reexamine whether there’s additional evidence that we were not aware of in November of 2024, that exists now that would change our assessment of the case and would result in the grand jury finding that there was criminal conduct."

An attorney for Jane Doe, Thomas P. Giuffra, disputed the district attorney’s characterization of his client’s statement. Giuffra stated that authorities did not follow up with his client using personnel trained in handling sexual abuse cases. "In my experience, speaking with an abuse survivor requires delicacy, understanding and specialized training. An average University Police officer would not have these skills. It would be the role of a specially trained detective or district attorney. However, Ms. Doe was never contacted by anybody with those skills," he told the outlet.

Cornell University previously issued a statement saying, “The behavior that has been outlined in the many allegations received is abhorrent and cannot be tolerated within our community.” The university declined to comment on the lawsuit or whether the accused students were offered or submitted essays as a form of mitigation after the accusations, as suggested by the lawsuit.

It remains unclear if the seven students are still enrolled at Cornell University. The alleged victim is no longer a student at the institution.