{"id":358845,"date":"2026-09-28T15:02:37","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T15:02:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/358845\/"},"modified":"2026-09-28T15:02:37","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T15:02:37","slug":"da-reopens-probe-into-7-cornell-frat-bros-who-allegedly-drugged-gang-raped-student","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/358845\/","title":{"rendered":"DA reopens probe into 7 Cornell frat bros who allegedly drugged, gang raped student"},"content":{"rendered":"

Prosecutors in central New York are reopening an investigation into sickening allegations that seven Cornell University frat brothers horrifically drugged and gang-raped a former student.<\/a><\/p>\n

Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten told ABC News<\/a> that his office is considering bringing criminal charges related to the case \u2014 after the nightmare described in a civil suit filed by the survivor sparked outrage online.<\/p>\n

The Sept. 14 lawsuit alleged that the victim, identified only as Jane Doe, was coerced into taking drugs, assaulted, and raped by several men \u2014 Matthew Ingalls, Johnathan Newell, Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, Diego Sarabia, Scott Norris and Scott Kretzschmar \u2014 at the Chi Phi fraternity house at Cornell in 2024.<\/p>\n

Cornell University Chi Phi fraternity members were accused of gang-raping a former student, according to a lawsuit filed by the victim ID\u2019d as \u201cJane Doe.\u201d Google Maps<\/p>\n

That night, Newell allegedly invited other fraternity brothers to join in on the abuse, sending a Snapchat message about \u201cfree p\u2014y\u201d to a group \u201cChi Phi Actives,\u201d after Doe was nearly incapacitated, a screenshot included in the lawsuit shows.<\/p>\n

Van Houten, however, told the outlet that the allegations in the civil complaint are \u201cdramatically different\u201d than the woman\u2019s statement after the alleged gang rape occurred.<\/p>\n

Cornell declined to comment on the lawsuit, including whether the students were offered or submitted essays after the horrific accusations. Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s our intention to present the case to the Tompkins County grand jury with Jane Doe\u2019s cooperation,\u201d Van Houten told the outlet.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to reexamine whether there\u2019s additional evidence that we were not aware of in November of 2024, that exists now that would change our assessment of the case and would result in the grand jury finding that there was criminal conduct.\u201d<\/p>\n

The district attorney added that he heavily relied on the Cornell University police\u2019s investigation and revealed that his office did not \u201cindependently investigate\u201d the alleged heinous incident.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Van Houten also stated that a group chat in the complaint was never provided to his office, which Thomas P. Giuffra, an attorney for Jane Doe, said was a \u201ccritical piece of evidence\u201d handed to authorities two years ago.<\/p>\n

Giuffra also disputed Van Houten\u2019s description of her statement and said authorities never followed up with her, specifically someone who had specialized training in sexual abuse.<\/p>\n

A screenshot of the \u201cChi Phi Actives\u201d Snapchat group is shown from Oct. 20, 2024. A lawsuit alleges Cornell fraternity members were offered \u201cessay\u201d mitigation following a gang rape. Obtained by NY Post<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my experience, speaking with an abuse survivor requires delicacy, understanding and specialized training. An average University Police officer would not have these skills. It would be the role of a specially trained detective or district attorney. However, Ms. Doe was never contacted by anybody with those skills,\u201d he told the outlet.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy client went to the Cornell University Police because a crime was committed. It was the obligation of the police to investigate the complaints. They were given the group chat inviting the members of the fraternity to rape my client,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was a critical piece of evidence supporting that a crime had occurred. Despite this there was no follow-up with Ms. Doe either by the Cornell Police or the Tompkins County District Attorney.\u201d<\/p>\n

The shocking 101-page lawsuit, first reported by The Post on Sept. 18<\/a>, details an alleged night of terror for the then 20-year-old student that began as an evening out with her sorority sisters and ended in an unspeakable hours-long sexual assault at the prestigious Ivy League college in Ithaca.<\/p>\n

After a night of bar-hopping, the young woman, who no longer attends the top university, met up with one of the defendants, Ingalls, at a Tudor-style frat house mansion, her suit states.<\/p>\n

When she declined his offer of a threesome with two frat bros, he allegedly pressured her to snort ketamine for the first time in her life, while also ingesting marijuana and a high-proof rum, court documents claim.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe behavior that has been outlined in the many allegations received is abhorrent and cannot be tolerated within our community,\u201d Cornell University said in a statement after the incident was first reported to cops.\u00a0 LightRocket via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Ingalls and Newell then allegedly \u201cbegan engaging in sexual acts with Plaintiff, all without her consent,\u201d including both oral and vaginal intercourse, the filing states.<\/p>\n

When one frat brother left, another, Lopes, entered to take his place, the lawsuit claims.<\/p>\n

After the sickening Snapchat message at 1:42 a.m. in which Newell allegedly encouraged others to join the assault, frat members began pouring lines of ketamine all over the woman\u2019s body and snorting them, court documents say.<\/p>\n

One of them poured a line of the powder \u201conto his erect penis and commanded that Plaintiff snort it, which she did,\u201d the suit alleges.<\/p>\n

The lawsuit claims the assault continued until 5:45 that morning, after which Jane Doe lost consciousness.<\/p>\n

The attack was reported to both campus and Ithaca police about a week later, and the fraternity and defendants Ingalls, Newell, Lee, Lopes, Sarabia, Norris and Kretzschmar were placed on temporary suspensions, the lawsuit said.<\/p>\n

The elite school later offered the accused frat boys a chance to \u201cmitigate their conduct by submitting essays,\u201d according to the deeply disturbing filing, which also names several Chi Phi fraternity organizations, several sorority organizations, the former president of Cornell\u2019s Chi Phi chapter, a local bar, and other unnamed individuals.<\/p>\n

While the alleged victim is no longer a student at Cornell, it\u2019s unclear if the seven students remain enrolled on campus. Getty Images<\/p>\n

In the weeks since the lawsuit was filed, several lawmakers, celebrities and social media users have blasted the Cornell administration and the district attorney\u2019s office for the lack of consequences.<\/p>\n

Cornell said it investigated the allegations at the time in line with its university policies, and that the Xi chapter of the Chi Phi fraternity remains banned from campus.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe take sexual violence extremely seriously,\u201d Cornell\u2019s Vice President for University Relations Kyle Kimball said in a Sept. 21 statement.<\/a> \u201cThe\u202fPresidential\u202fTask Force on Campus Sexual Assault was launched shortly after this incident and issued a report in March 2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

The March report <\/a>found that 35% of undergraduate female students at Cornell said they experienced non-consensual sexual contact in 2025 \u2014 up from 23% in 2023.<\/p>\n

The university said it was unable to comment further on Doe\u2019s allegations due to federal privacy laws and will instead respond \u201cin detail through the legal process.\u201d<\/p>\n

At a town hall with Cornell and Ithaca College students on Sunday, Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez blasted the university for protecting the \u201cfactory of sexual assault\u201d she said plagues academia.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to be clear that the culture of rape, sexual assault, and pedophilia is protected in elite institutions across the United States and including Cornell University in this instance,\u201d Ocasio-Cortez said.<\/p>\n

Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez blasted Cornell for protecting the \u201cfactory of sexual assault\u201d she said plagues academia during a town hall with students from the Ivy League and Ithaca College on Sunday. More Perfect Union\/X<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has got to stop. This entire country is sick and tired of not just financially corrupt, morally corrupt leadership in every institution,\u201d she told the crowd, opening up about instances where she was \u201chorrified\u201d by inappropriate sexual behavior she witnessed while an undergraduate at Boston University.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I felt like I was in at that point was a factory of sexual assault. It was a sexual assault factory,\u201d the congresswoman said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact that she had to lose her education, and those men were protected by an institution and granted an Ivy League degree as a reward? Never again,\u201d she said of Doe\u2019s case.<\/p>\n

Actress Florence Pugh also released a statement stating she felt \u201cuneasy and sick and anxious\u201d after learning about the gang rape.<\/p>\n

\u201cColleges\/schools\/universities repeatedly fail women around the world. You build men that get taught through time and time again that they can do extreme harm and that they won\u2019t be harmed in return,\u201d Pugh wrote in an Instagram post<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no equality until you respect our bodies. There is no equality until you stop damaging our souls\u2026 We are the life force of this earth, start f**king protecting us. Be angry for us. Please.\u201d<\/p>\n

Van Houten, the Cornell University police department and did not immediately reply to The Post\u2019s request for comment. <\/p>\n

Kretzschmar\u2019s lawyer slammed the lawsuit as \u201cnot only intentionally dishonest but morally repugnant,\u201d and said he \u201cwelcomes any further investigation by the District Attorney who already determined not to bring charges\u201d in a statement to The Post.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile Scott made an immature comment on Snapchat, he did nothing else,\u201d his attorney Jeremy Saland said. \u201cFor the few minutes he was in the room with the plaintiff, Scott did not see her in duress or undress, was involved in no sexual activity nor touched the plaintiff in any way and ingested no ketamine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe DA reported that the plaintiff never said she was drugged without her knowledge, admitted to consuming alcohol and drugs voluntarily, and acknowledged she wasn\u2019t forced to engage in any acts,\u201d he continued. \u201cEqually shocking, and knowingly withheld from these young men, the plaintiff did not assert she was helpless, unconscious, or incapacitated at any time in the fraternity house.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe plaintiff can peddle any story she wants, but intentionally victimizing an innocent person for a money grab is reprehensible,\u201d Saland added.<\/p>\n

Attorney information for the other men named in the lawsuit wasn\u2019t available by the time of publication.<\/p>\n

Additional reporting by Vaughn Golden.<\/p>\n

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