Jacqueline Kelly to Lead Reopened Cornell Criminal Probe

New York Attorney General Letitia James appointed Jacqueline Kelly on November 4 to lead a reopened criminal investigation into a former Cornell University student’s allegations of sexual assault by seven men at a fraternity gathering in October 2024. Kelly, a former federal prosecutor and Cornell graduate, will serve as outside counsel and oversee a team of attorneys and investigators from the attorney general’s office and her law firm, Boies Schiller Flexner. The team is expected to review earlier investigative records, gather evidence, interview witnesses and assess the law. The appointment does not determine whether charges will be filed. No criminal charges have been reported in the case, and the allegations have not been established in court. The former student, identified in a civil lawsuit as Jane Doe, alleges that seven men sexually assaulted her at a Chi Phi fraternity gathering. The lawsuit, filed in September 2026, says she was pressured to consume drugs and alcohol and was too intoxicated to consent. The men named in the suit have denied wrongdoing. The appointment follows a series of changes in the criminal investigation. Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew...