Former ‘Diddy’ prosecutor to lead Cornell sexual assault investigation
A Cornell University police vehicle sits in front of the shuttered Chi Phi fraternity in Ithaca, N.Y., in October. Heather Ainsworth for NBC NewsShareAdd NBC News to GoogleNov. 4, 2026, 10:03 AM EST / Updated Nov. 4, 2026, 10:20 AM ESTBy Shayna JacobsNew York Attorney General Letitia James announced Wednesday that a former federal prosecutor who oversaw the criminal case against Sean “Diddy” Combs will lead the investigation into an alleged 2024 sexual assault at a Cornell University fraternity house.
Former federal prosecutor Jacqueline Kelly, a Cornell graduate, was also the first chief of the civil rights unit in the criminal division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Kelly is now a partner at Boies Schiller Flexner, a firm that represented women who accused Jeffrey Epstein of sexual abuse.
James, who was re-elected as the state’s top law enforcement official Tuesday, said in a statement that Kelly “is a seasoned prosecutor who has overseen numerous cases from investigation through trial.”
“With her criminal legal expertise, commitment to public service, and judicial experience, I am confident that she will lead a fair and comprehensive investigation,” James added.
In a statement, Kelly thanked James for the opportunity to lead the review that was ordered Oct. 1 by Gov. Kathy Hochul after the governor raised concerns that the local district attorney who originally considered charges did not do a proper assessment.
“All New Yorkers deserve a fair and thorough inquiry into the facts of this case,” Kelly said in a statement. “I look forward to lending my years of experience as a federal prosecutor to the Office of the Attorney General as we examine all available evidence.”
A former Cornell student filed a lawsuit under the pseudonym Jane Doe in September, accusing seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity of plying her with drugs and sexually assaulting her after what was initially a consensual threesome at the chapter’s house on Oct. 19 and 20, 2024.
The woman, who later dropped out of school, reported the incident to the university and to campus police in November 2024. Records reviewed by NBC News show that the Cornell University Police Department interviewed several witnesses and obtained other evidence.
Thousands of Cornell University students during the Justice for Survivors protest hosted by twenty student organizations, on Oct. 5.Matt Burkhartt / The Washington Post via GettyTompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten declined to bring charges after his office reviewed a six-page statement provided by Jane Doe, which the prosecutor said did not describe a potential crime. Records show that Van Houten’s team did not review additional statements from Jane Doe and others who were interviewed.
Lawyers for two of the accused fraternity members have asked different state judges to disqualify James from leading the case on the basis that past comments she made on social media in support of Jane Doe exhibit a pre-judgment and bias. Those requests are pending.
James has said that her investigation will be fair and fact-based and that her social media remarks, which were made before she was appointed to handle the case, were based on empathy for the accuser. The office “is committed to a thorough investigation guided only by the facts, the evidence, and the law,” James said in her statement announcing Kelly’s appointment.
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Kelly also worked on a New York indictment against octogenarian fashion CEO Peter Nygard, who in 2024 was sentenced in Canada to 11 years in prison for sexual assaults. The ex-prosecutor also handled a case against Ricardo Cruciani, a pain management doctor accused of sexually abusing a number of patients in several states.
In 2025, Kelly oversaw the prosecution that led to Combs’ conviction for transportation to engage in prostitution but acquitted him of more serious sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy counts. The disgraced entertainment executive is currently serving a 50-month federal prison sentence.
Shayna Jacobs is a national reporter for NBC News digital.
