By The Epoch Times | Created at 2026-10-02 04:26:54 | Updated at 2026-10-02 07:13:50
2 hours ago
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks as she meets with gateway project construction workers at the site of the Gateway Project in New York City on Feb. 17, 2026. Adam Gray/Reuters
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order on Oct. 1 to appoint state attorney general Letitia James as special prosecutor in an investigation into gang rape allegations at Cornell University, effectively removing the Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office from the case.
A former Cornell University student filed a complaint on Sept. 16 alleging that she was drugged and sexually assaulted at a fraternity house on the Ivy League campus in October 2024. Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten has reopened the investigation and said last week his office will present evidence to a grand jury amid increased scrutiny of his office’s handling of the case after the student first reported the alleged incident in 2024.
Hochul said newly released information about the investigation prompted her decision.
“New information has raised serious questions about how this case was handled, and I’ve lost faith in the Tompkins County DA’s ability to fairly oversee it,” the governor said in a statement. “For this reason, I have issued an executive order appointing Attorney General James as special prosecutor in this case.”
As special prosecutor, the Attorney General will investigate this incident and, if warranted, prosecute any offenses arising from that investigation and present evidence to a grand jury.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
