New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Friday morning she has opened an "active criminal investigation" into an alleged gang rape at Cornell University in 2024.
"This is now an active criminal investigation led by the office of the attorney general," James said after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed her as an independent special prosecutor in the case.
"Every New Yorker deserves to know that when they report a crime, it will be investigated fully and fairly, that they will be seen and heard. That is the promise of our justice system," she said.
"I stand ready to lead a process guided by the facts and the law. In the coming months, my office will dutifully carry out the responsibilities the governor has conferred upon us in this executive order. We will review the facts, gather evidence, interview witnesses, and, if warranted, pursue prosecutions. I know that you want answers. I do too," she added.
Hochul signed an executive order appointing James as the special prosecutor on Thursday, citing "serious questions about the investigation conducted by the Cornell Police Department and the decision by the Tompkins County District Attorney not to prosecute an alleged sexual assault on Cornell University's campus in October 2024."
A woman identified only as Jane Doe filed a civil complaint in September accusing seven members of Cornell's Chi Phi fraternity of sexual assault and rape.
In the complaint, Doe alleges she "was plied with alcohol and drugs to the point of intoxication by members of Xi chapter's fraternal organization," which resulted in her "being sexually assaulted and raped by members of Xi chapter's regional fraternal organization at Cornell University."
The Tompkins County district attorney reviewed the case at the time and chose not to pursue criminal charges.
"Jane Doe’s sworn statement in November of 2024 did not allege that she was drugged against her will or gang raped. On the contrary, Jane Doe’s statement described her participation in drug use and sexual conduct as voluntary, conscious, and consensual. My office obviously did not and could not have based our November 2024 decision on the allegations in a civil lawsuit that would not be filed until nearly two years later," the District Attorney's Office wrote in a Sept. 28, 2026 Cornell University has also reopened an investigation.