Former Combs prosecutor leads Cornell sexual assault investigation

A former federal prosecutor who oversaw the criminal case against Sean “Diddy” Combs will lead New York’s investigation into allegations that seven fraternity members drugged and sexually assaulted a Cornell University student in 2024, Attorney General Letitia James announced Wednesday.

Jacqueline Kelly, a Cornell graduate and former chief of the civil rights unit in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, will serve as outside counsel and report directly to James’s office. Kelly is now a partner at Boies Schiller Flexner and will bring a team from the firm to the investigation, NBC News reported.

“The Office of the Attorney General is committed to a thorough investigation guided only by the facts, the evidence, and the law,” James said. She called Kelly “a seasoned prosecutor” and said she was confident Kelly would lead a “fair and comprehensive investigation.”

Kelly said all New Yorkers deserve “a fair and thorough inquiry into the facts of this case” and pledged to examine all available evidence.

Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered the review on Oct. 1 after raising concerns about Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten’s handling of the allegations. Hochul said she had “lost faith” in his ability to oversee the case, The Guardian reported. Van Houten declined to bring charges after his office reviewed a six-page statement from the accuser, which he said did not describe a potential crime. Records reviewed by NBC News show his team did not review additional statements from the woman and others who were interviewed.

The former student filed a civil lawsuit in September under the pseudonym Jane Doe. She alleges that seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity drugged and sexually assaulted her at the chapter’s house on Oct. 19 and 20, 2024, after what began as a consensual threesome. The Guardian reported that the alleged assault lasted seven hours. Doe, who later left Cornell, reported the incident to the university and campus police in November 2024. NBC News reported that campus police interviewed several witnesses and obtained other evidence.

Doe’s attorney, Thomas Giuffra, welcomed Kelly’s appointment, saying he believed she would conduct a thorough investigation and consider all appropriate potential charges.

Lawyers for two accused fraternity members have asked state judges to disqualify James, arguing that social media comments she made in support of Doe before her appointment show bias. The requests remain pending. Andrew Miltenberg, a lawyer for defendant Gillio Lopes, said he had no objection to Kelly leading the investigative team but argued that her appointment did not resolve his concerns if James could still direct or override prosecutorial decisions. Jeremy Saland, who represents defendant Scott Kretzschmar, welcomed the appointment as a step in the right direction but said James had prejudged the case. He said Kretzsch is innocent of criminal wrongdoing.

James has said her earlier remarks expressed empathy for Doe and that the investigation will be fair and fact-based.

Kelly oversaw the prosecution that resulted in Combs’ 2025 conviction for transportation to engage in prostitution. He was acquitted of more serious sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges and is serving a 50-month federal prison sentence, NBC News reported.