New York Attorney General Opens Active Criminal Investigation Into Cornell Gang Rape Case Attorney General Letitia James has launched an active criminal investigation into seven Cornell fraternity brothers accused of gang rape at the Chi Phi house in 2024, following a civil lawsuit and a newly released police transcript. New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Friday that she has opened an active criminal investigation into seven Cornell University fraternity brothers accused of a gang rape at the Chi Phi fraternity house in 2024. The case has roiled the Ivy League school since the alleged victim, identified only as Jane Doe in court documents, filed a lawsuit in September claiming she was sexually assaulted at the fraternity house. At a press conference, James said her office will review the facts, gather evidence, interview witnesses and, if warranted, pursue prosecutions. She said a comprehensive investigation of this nature takes time, but her office is committed to seeing it through.James Promises Rigorous Probe Into Fraternity AssaultsThis is now an active criminal investigation led by the Office of the Attorney General, she said. James added: We will review the facts, gather evidence, interview witnesses and, if warranted, pursue prosecutions. I know that you want answers. I do too.The attorney general also noted that her office is not investigating Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten for his decision not to charge the accused men. Our investigation is a criminal investigation based upon all of the facts, she said. At this point in time, we will not be focusing on the actions of the district attorney. The announcement came after Gov.Kathy Hochul said at a news conference that she will not allow anyone to sweep this case under the rug. Hochul appointed James as special prosecutor, saying she lost faith in the district attorney's ability to oversee the case. Hochul added she is not calling for Van Houten or the Cornell president to step down at this time. I don't have enough information at this time.Governor Hochul Asserts She Will Not Let Case Be Swept AsideAgain, this is very early in the questioning. I'm not going to draw conclusions until I have the full picture, the governor said. Van Houten said he supports James and Hochul's actions, and his office will cooperate with the investigation. I support the appointment of Attorney General James, and I trust that she will examine the facts and apply the law, he said in a statement.It has become clear that we were not provided the full picture by the University. The focus has been and should continue to be on the victims. My office will cooperate fully with the Attorney General, Van Houten said. The decision comes after a newly released transcript shows the alleged victim told Cornell police she was 100 percent confident she was assaulted.In the interview with a campus police investigator, she described drinking and using drugs the night of the alleged attack and having gaps in her memory. Still, she was able to distinguish the initial sexual activity from what she said happened later in the night at Cornell's Chi Phi fraternity house.Victim's Testimony Highlights Confidence in Rape Claim Despite Drug UseWhen asked whether she was OK with the initial encounter, Jane Doe replied: Yeah, as much as I can be, because again, I was super drunk when I got there. But I was pretty OK with all of this. She then said she did not remember the end of the night, where I was raped, and did not know exactly how many people had sex with her.But when she described what happened, Jane Doe said: I can say with 100 percent confidence I was raped. Van Houten has said his decision not to bring charges against the seven alleged perpetrators was based on the contents of her signed 2024 statement. But he told CBS News on Tuesday he had never before seen the transcript showing what Jane Doe told campus police. The case gained renewed attention after Jane Doe filed a civil suit on September 16.The lawsuit alleges that Doe, then 20, arrived at the fraternity house on October 19, 2024, already heavily intoxicated following a night of drinking in Ithaca. She alleges she was pressured to take ketamine and given marijuana and high-proof alcohol before being repeatedly sexually assaulted as additional fraternity members entered the room. The complaint alleges seven men eventually participated and that Doe became completely incapacitated. She says the ordeal continued until around 5.45am, when she lost consciousness.It also claims that during the assault, one fraternity member posted to a Chi Phi Actives Snapchat group that there was free p***y upstairs, referring to Doe. Like you can walk in and whip it out, another member allegedly responded, according to a screenshot described in the filing. Snapchat messages exchanged during the alleged assault include a photo of then-student Jane Doe in a room at the fraternity house, according to images of the chain obtained by CNN.