Letitia James Brushes Off Questions on Cornell Gang-Rape Investigation

New York Attorney General Letitia James responded with laughter and deflection when questioned about her oversight of an ongoing criminal investigation into an alleged gang rape at Cornell University.

James was appointed to lead the investigation into claims that seven fraternity brothers from the now-defunct Chi Phi chapter sexually assaulted a student identified as Jane Doe. The alleged assault occurred in October 2024, with Doe claiming she was incapacitated by drugs and alcohol before the incident. The accused fraternity members have denied any wrongdoing.

At a campaign event in New York City on Sunday, when approached by The New York Post, James shifted the focus to early elections. "We're here today to talk about elections, early elections. I want to talk about early elections," she said. Regarding the Cornell case, she added, "Cornell's very serious, and we'll have something to say about that too."

Doe's civil lawsuit alleges that seven Chi Phi members, including Matthew Ingalls, Jonathan Newell, Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, Diego Sarabia, Scott Norris, and Scott Kretzschmar, engaged in sexual acts with her without consent while she was incapacitated. The lawsuit also claims that Snapchat messages describing her sexual availability were circulated among fraternity members.

Ingalls and Newell were reportedly expelled from Cornell following the allegations. The university has since suspended all fraternity parties and social events through the end of the 2026-27 academic year and implemented a zero-tolerance policy for violations.

A lawyer for one of the accused, Gillio Lopes, filed a petition to remove James from the investigation. Attorney Andrew Miltenberg argued that James's prior statements of support for the alleged victim demonstrated bias. In response, James's office filed a motion to dismiss the petition, characterizing the claims as premature and without merit.

According to The Post, James is planning to enlist outside counsel to assist with the investigation.

The alleged assault was reported to Cornell police in November 2024, three weeks after the incident. Campus police investigated and forwarded their findings to the district attorney's office, which opted not to pursue criminal charges. Separately, Cornell conducted a Title IX investigation.

Orazio Petito, initially named in Doe's civil lawsuit, was later dropped from the complaint. Petito's attorney confirmed the dismissal, stating the case against his client was dropped because he was not the president of the Chi Phi chapter at the time of the alleged assault.