The Tompkins County District Attorney's Office has reopened an investigation into allegations that seven Cornell University fraternity members drugged and gang-raped a fellow student at the Chi Phi house in Ithaca in 2024, with the district attorney now weighing whether to bring criminal charges. The renewed scrutiny comes nearly two years after the alleged assault, and after a civil lawsuit laid out claims that a former Cornell student identified as Jane Doe was coerced into taking drugs before being assaulted and raped by several men.
A Civil Complaint Reignites the Case
According to a report from the New York Post, the alleged perpetrators include Matthew Ingalls, Johnathan Newell, Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, Diego Sarabia, Scott Norris and Scott Kretzschmar. Jane Doe is no longer a student at Cornell, and it remains unclear whether the seven men she has accused are still enrolled, the outlet reports. Cornell told the paper that the behavior outlined in the allegations is abhorrent and cannot be tolerated within the community, though the university declined to say whether any of the students had been offered or submitted essays after the accusations surfaced.
Central to the civil complaint is a Snapchat message that Newell allegedly sent to the Chi Phi actives group on October 20, 2024, referencing “free p—y” and allegedly inviting other fraternity brothers to join in the abuse, per the same report. That date lines up with when the alleged assault is said to have taken place at the fraternity house.
DA Cites Discrepancies, Plans Grand Jury Presentation
District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said the allegations in the civil complaint are dramatically different from the statement Jane Doe gave after the alleged gang rape, the station's report notes. He plans to present the case to the Tompkins County grand jury with her cooperation, and intends to reexamine whether evidence that was unavailable when the case was first assessed in November 2024 could change how prosecutors view it. Van Houten has said additional evidence could result in the grand jury finding that criminal conduct occurred, though he did not immediately reply to a request for comment from the outlet.
Jane Doe's attorney, Thomas P. Giuffra, disputed Van Houten's characterization of her original statement. He said speaking with an abuse survivor requires delicacy, understanding and specialized training, and argued that an average university police officer would not have the specialized skills required for that kind of interview. Giuffra said authorities never followed up with Jane Doe through someone specially trained in handling sexual abuse cases, and that a specially trained detective or district attorney should have contacted her directly.
A Separate Legal Fight Over Campus Discipline
While the Tompkins County case moves toward a grand jury, a separate legal proceeding shows how disputed Title IX findings from Cornell can also end up in court. In a 2017 Article 78 case against Cornell University, a petitioner challenged a university disciplinary determination concerning a 2016 off-campus incident, according to a case summary from trellis.law.
In that case, Cornell had charged Doe under its Title IX policy with sexual assault and sexual exploitation, involving allegations tied to a woman identified as Jane Roe, per the case record. A hearing panel found Doe not responsible for those charges but, without notice or an opportunity to respond, found him responsible for attempted sexual exploitation instead, the filing states. Doe appealed, arguing he never had notice of that charge and that a panel member had been distracted while driving during critical testimony, but the appeal panel upheld the finding and sanctions. He is challenging Cornell's decision in court.
For now, the Tompkins County investigation into the seven fraternity members remains open, with Van Houten's office weighing what a grand jury presentation could mean for the case. Whether that process results in criminal charges, and how it might intersect with Cornell's own disciplinary processes, remains to be seen.
