New York Attorney General Letitia James has appointed a former federal prosecutor who oversaw investigations involving Sean “Diddy” Combs to lead the criminal investigation into allegations that seven Cornell University fraternity members sexually assaulted a former student in 2024.
Jacqueline Kelly, a Cornell alumna and partner at Boies Schiller Flexner, will serve as outside counsel, leading a team of attorneys and investigators from her firm and the attorney general’s office, according to The Guardian.
Kelly previously served as chief of the Civil Rights Unit in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, where she oversaw investigations involving Combs.
Kelly's team will gather evidence, interview witnesses and review previous investigative records to determine whether the allegations warrant criminal prosecution, according to the New York Attorney General’s Office.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed James as special prosecutor on October 1, following scrutiny of Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten’s handling of the case. Van Houten initially declined to pursue charges before reopening the investigation after the woman filed a lawsuit in September.
James' appointment faced scrutiny after she publicly expressed support for the woman. As BIN previously reported, attorneys for two of the accused men challenged her appointment, raising concerns about her impartiality.
In September, before she was appointed special prosecutor, James described the woman's experience as “horrific and unacceptable” in a social media post.
The woman, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, alleged that seven members of Cornell’s Chi Phi fraternity sexually assaulted her at a party in October 2024. She also alleged that some of the men pressured her to consume ketamine and marijuana while she was too intoxicated to consent.
The men have denied wrongdoing, and none has been criminally charged.
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