Jacqueline Kelly to lead reopened Cornell investigation

New York Attorney General Letitia James has appointed Jacqueline Kelly, a former Manhattan federal prosecutor and Cornell alumna, to lead a reopened criminal investigation into a former student’s allegations of sexual assault at a Cornell University fraternity party. Kelly will serve as outside counsel, with a team from her law firm and the attorney general’s office. The team is expected to gather evidence, interview witnesses, review investigative records and assess the applicable law, then report its findings to James. James has said the investigation will take months; evidence could be presented to a grand jury if warranted. The former student, identified in court papers as Jane Doe, alleges in a September lawsuit that seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity sexually assaulted her at a party in October 2024. She also alleges that some of the men pressured her to use ketamine and marijuana and that alcohol left her too intoxicated to consent. The accused students have denied wrongdoing. The allegations have not been established by the investigation described in the reporting. Local prosecutors declined to bring charges in 2024. Governor Kathy Hochul appointed James special...