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….