New York AG Launches Criminal Probe into Cornell Rape Allegations

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Friday that her office has opened an active criminal investigation into seven Cornell University fraternity brothers accused of gang rape. The case has drawn renewed attention following a civil lawsuit filed in September by the alleged victim, identified as Jane Doe.

James stated at a press conference that her office will "review the facts, gather evidence, interview witnesses and, if warranted, pursue prosecutions." She emphasized that the investigation is criminal in nature and that her office is committed to seeing it through.

This development follows an executive order signed Thursday by New York Governor Kathy Hochul, which appointed James to oversee the case. The alleged assault reportedly occurred in the Chi Phi fraternity house in 2024. The accuser filed a police report at the time, but Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten declined to prosecute.

James clarified that her office's investigation will not focus on District Attorney Van Houten's decision not to charge the accused men. Governor Hochul indicated she does not have enough information to call for resignations from Van Houten or Cornell's president at this time.

Van Houten expressed support for James' appointment, stating his office will cooperate fully. He added that "it has become clear that we were not provided the full picture by the University" and that the focus "should continue to be on the victims."

The case gained significant attention after a recently released transcript revealed the alleged victim told Cornell police she was "100 percent" confident she had been assaulted. In an interview with a campus police investigator, she described having used drugs and alcohol the night of the alleged attack, leading to memory gaps. Despite this, she was able to distinguish initial sexual activity from later events.

"And then, of course, I was being hit at the same time," she stated. She further recounted, "I did not remember the end of the night, where I was raped, and I did not know exactly how many people had sex with her." However, she concluded, "I can say with 100 percent confidence I was raped."

Van Houten had previously cited the victim's signed 2024 statement as the basis for his decision not to bring charges. He told CBS News on Tuesday that he had not seen the transcript of her interview with campus police before that time.

The civil lawsuit, filed September 16, alleges that the then 20-year-old victim arrived at the fraternity house heavily intoxicated on October 19, 2024. The suit claims she was pressured to take ketamine and was given marijuana and alcohol before being sexually assaulted as more fraternity members entered the room. The complaint alleges seven men participated in the assault, during which the victim became incapacitated and lost consciousness around 5:45 a.m. The lawsuit also claims that one fraternity member posted to a Snapchat group about "free p***y" upstairs, referring to the victim, with another member allegedly responding in a screenshot described in the filing. Some of the defendants have denied wrongdoing.