NY Attorney General Opens ‘Active Criminal Investigation’ Into Cornell Rape Allegations

New York’s attorney general said Oct. 2 she opened an investigation into the alleged gang rape of a woman by Cornell University students.

“This is now an active criminal investigation led by the office of the attorney general,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said at a press briefing alongside New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.

James said New Yorkers deserve to know that any crimes reported will be investigated “fully and fairly.”

She added, “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.”

James declined to comment on a Facebook post she recently made that said, “What this young woman has been forced to endure is horrific and unacceptable. I’m holding her in my heart and in my prayers.”

Hochul said she’s confident the attorney general will look at facts, examine evidence, and “draw the proper conclusions.”

The woman who says she was raped in 2024 by multiple Cornell University students filed a lawsuit on Sept. 16 against the university, the Chi Phi fraternity, and others, alleging sexual assault and negligence. The university said that an internal investigation led to the expulsion of some students, the suspension of others, and the barring of the on-campus chapter of Chi Phi.

Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten after the suit was filed reopened an investigation into the allegations.

Van Houten said in a statement on Sept. 28 that the woman did go to campus police but did not allege she was gang raped or drugged. Instead, she “described her participation in drug use and sexual conduct as voluntary, conscious, and consensual.”

“Seeking justice sometimes requires us to reconsider or reopen cases when we are provided with additional evidence,” Van Houten said at the time. “I have been asked by the community to revisit the decision whether to pursue criminal charges against the seven fraternity members. I have already begun that process, starting with our conversation with Jane Doe and her attorneys.”

Hochul, another Democrat, on Oct. 1 signed an executive order that appointed James special prosecutor to probe what happened, removing the local prosecutor.

The governor said she had concerns about how Van Houten handled the case.

At the briefing on Friday, Hochul said the woman did speak to police and detail what she said happened to her, including rape.

“Yet, shockingly, those words never made it into the account that the Cornell police sent to prosecutors,” Hochul said.

Van Houten, she said, made the decision not to pursue charges after receiving that incomplete account.

“In what world would the police learn from a victim that she’d been literally gang raped while intoxicated by … men in a fraternity house and not elevate those allegations to the district attorney?” Hochul said. “In what world does the district attorney not even interview her or anyone else involved or even request the full transcript?”

Asked for a response to the officials’ comments, Van Houten told The Epoch Times in an email on Friday that he supports the appointment of James and trusts she will apply the law after examining the facts.

“It has become clear that we were not provided the full picture by the University,” he said. “The focus has been and should continue to be on the victims. My office will cooperate fully with the Attorney General.”

Cornell University did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.