Cornell University, one of the country’s most prestigious institutions, has faced intense scrutiny since a former female student accused seven fraternity members of sexually assaulting her at a party two years ago.
In a lawsuit filed in September, the woman alleged that Umar Matthew Ingalls, Jonathan Newell, Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, Diego Sarabia, Scott Noris and Scott Kretzschmar sexually assaulted her at a fraternity party on October 19, 2024.
The alleged victim, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, said members of the Chi Phi fraternity engaged in sexual acts with her while she was incapacitated and unable to consent.
She also alleged that the men pressured or manipulated her into consuming ketamine and alcohol during the night, according to the lawsuit. The men have denied all of the allegations.
Jane Doe, who was 20 and a Cornell sophomore at the time, initially reported the allegations in 2024. However, an investigation led by Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten concluded without criminal charges being filed.
Following the filing of her lawsuit, the case has been reopened. New York Governor Kathy Hochul has appointed Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor.
As the investigation continues, further details are emerging about the fraternity members and the events alleged to have occurred that evening.
Here is what is known so far about the men accused of sexually assaulting Jane Doe.
Cornell University has been under scrutiny since a former female student accused seven fraternity brothers of sexually assaulting her at a 2024 party
Jane Doe’s lawsuit included a screenshot of a Snapchat group chat allegedly used by Chi Phi members to communicate. One message to the group’s more than 50 members read, ‘Free p****’
Umar Matthew Ingalls
According to Jane Doe’s lawsuit, the encounter began after Ingalls invited her to the fraternity house.
On October 19, 2024, Jane Doe, then 20, visited two bars in Ithaca, New York, with members of her sorority.
The lawsuit states that she consumed approximately 10 drinks over the course of three hours.
At about 11 p.m., she left the second bar and walked alone to the Chi Phi house after receiving an invitation from Ingalls, according to the filing.
Once there, Ingalls allegedly offered her a beer and danced with her. He then took her to a more secluded area and asked whether she would consider a threesome involving him and another fraternity member, Jane Doe claimed.
She agreed, and Ingalls and fellow Chi Phi member Jonathan Newell led her upstairs, the lawsuit states.
Jane Doe alleged that the men pressured her to take drugs and drink liquor before sexual activity took place.
Ingalls, who was 21 at the time, enrolled at Cornell in 2023 and was later expelled after the university conducted its own investigation.
Umar Matthew Ingalls (pictured) allegedly invited Jane Doe to the fraternity house before asking whether she wanted to join him and another fraternity member in a threesome, according to her lawsuit
The fraternity closed its doors on campus after the school conducted an internal investigation that saw Ingalls and Newell expelled
He is now believed to have returned to Dubai, where he grew up as a child, Our News Outlet exclusively revealed.
Jonathan Newell
Newell is the second frat brother who was expelled from the campus after Jane Doe said that he and Ingalls led her to a room where the alleged sexual assault occurred.
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He has also been accused of sending a message that read ‘Free p****’ to a Snapchat group chat that more than 50 Chi Phi members were a part of, the lawsuit alleged.
The 21-year-old is from Broward, Florida, according to 12 News.
On Sunday, Harry Moon, the President and CEO of Nova Southeastern University, issued a statement after online speculation claimed that Newell now attends the school following his expulsion from Cornell.
Moon did not specifically confirm or deny the claims, stating: ‘At the time of admission, the university was not aware of allegations subsequently reported in [the] media.
‘Once we learned of the reported incident, we acted immediately on behalf of the safety and well-being of our students and the NSU community. Because this matter involves federal law regarding an individual student, the university is legally restricted by federal regulations that limit what the university can share.’
Protests have broken out across campus after Jane Doe filed her lawsuit in September
Scott Kretzschmar
Kretzschmar, now 22, is another one of the seven named in the lawsuit.
Following the internal Title IX investigation by Cornell, he and Norris were found responsible for attempted sexual exploitation.
He admitted to entering the room after seeing Newell’s Snapchat message, but said he was only in there briefly, NBC News reported.
Kretzschmar also said he did not touch Jane Doe, did not see her naked, did not ingest ketamine, and did not observe the woman in distress, the outlet reported.
As a result of the investigation, Kretzschmar was banned from ever contacting Jane Doe, had to study sexual harassment and social media use and bystander intervention, and was ordered to write an essay, Jane Doe’s lawsuit stated.
After her lawsuit was filed, it was revealed that Kretzschmar had launched his own legal battle against the school just months earlier.
While the man is identified in his own court filings as John Doe, Jeremy Saland represents him, and he is the same attorney for Kretzschmar.
In the court filing obtained by Our News Outlet, he claimed that the prestigious university pulled a ‘bait-and-switch’ on him by finding him responsible for a disciplinary violation he was never charged with in connection with the case.
John Doe, who refers to the victim as Jane Roe in his court filings, claimed that Cornell’s disciplinary board charged him with sexual assault and sexual exploitation after she first reported the alleged rape.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul (left) also tapped Attorney General Letitia James (right) as special prosecutor
After an evidentiary hearing, a panel that included Cornell faculty and staff found that John Doe was not responsible for the two charges brought against him.
However, the panel ruled he was responsible for attempted sexual exploitation, which John Doe insists he was neither charged with nor notified he was being considered for, according to his lawsuit.
He appealed that finding because he claimed that one of the hearing panel members, Savannah Bao, was ‘literally driving in her car for 45 minutes and was otherwise distracted while a witness favorable to Doe was testifying,’ the filing stated.
‘At the very least, it tainted the hearing with an appearance of impropriety and the clear possibility that Bao missed critical testimony that prevented her from fairly assessing the evidence. It was also incredibly distracting.’
The lawsuit stated that Bao was the director of Cornell’s online master’s degree program for the business school at the time of the hearing.
Bao’s LinkedIn profile appeared to be down as of Monday, and she is nowhere to be found on Corenll’s website. Our News Outlet contacted the school for comment.
