Young Man Doxxed and Threatened After Being Mistakenly Named in Cornell Fraternity Rape Lawsuit

A 23-year-old U.S. Marine Corps sergeant has become the target of a severe harassment campaign after being wrongly identified in a civil lawsuit accusing seven Cornell fraternity brothers of drugging and raping a student. The lawsuit, which listed the accused by name and address, mistakenly included the name and home address of the sergeant, who has never been a student at Cornell University.

Victoria Ingalls, the sergeant's mother, was served the lawsuit at her home on September 26, while her son was away on active duty. Since then, her family has been doxxed, and they have received numerous death threats from individuals acting as online vigilantes. One post on X targeted the sergeant, stating, "This is definitely NOT Matthew Ingalls’ new phone number and address! ... Posting this for public awareness so people know to NOT reach out." The harassment extended to other family members, including the sergeant's 26-year-old sister, who received text messages containing a screenshot of her brother and a Google Earth image of their house, which the family interpreted as a direct threat.

Some of the messages received by the family included phrases such as "Do the world a favor and go kill yourself" and "Kill yourself." Victoria Ingalls told The Free Press that her family has been terrorized and that she cannot comprehend how people would access personal information online to send such vile messages. She added, "You don’t even know if you have the right person. You’re creating more victims."

Major Michaela Connally, a public information officer at the sergeant's military base, confirmed to The Free Press that the man identified in the lawsuit is not the same Matthew Ingalls accused in the legal filing. "Unfortunately, this mistaken identification has come at significant personal cost to Sergeant Ingalls and his family, including several threats of physical harm and the doxxing of his personal information," Major Connally stated.

Ethan Cohen, an associate at the law firm that filed the lawsuit on behalf of the plaintiff, Jane Doe, informed The Free Press that the firm is working with the court to rectify the error and that service upon the correct Matthew Ingalls is being arranged.

The civil complaint alleges that Jane Doe was plied with alcohol, pressured to take ketamine, and sexually assaulted for hours at the Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024. The lawsuit claims one of the accused fraternity members posted a Snapchat message to the group chat stating there was "free p***y" upstairs, leading to the alleged gang rape.

None of the seven individuals named in the civil complaint have been criminally charged. However, Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten announced Monday that his office has reopened a criminal probe into the accused. This decision comes nearly two years after prosecutors initially declined to bring charges. Van Houten stated that investigators will now assess whether new evidence, including the Snapchat exchange, warrants further action.

Previously, Van Houten had explained his decision not to bring charges was based on a 2024 statement signed by Doe. He told ABC News that Doe admitted to voluntarily taking drugs and alcohol and did not allege she was forced to engage in any acts or that she was physically helpless or unconscious at any point during the time at the fraternity house. He also stated that he never received evidence of a campus police interview where Doe expressed being "100 percent" confident she was raped.

Victoria Ingalls acknowledged the public's outrage and expressed sympathy for the victim but urged online vigilantes to be more responsible. "We just really want to be left alone," she said, describing herself as overwhelmed and scared for her children.