A former federal civil rights prosecutor will lead the criminal investigation into a reported October 2024 sexual assault on Cornell University's campus.
Attorney General Letitia James appointed Jacqueline Kelly as outside counsel Wednesday, according to a news release from her office. Kelly, a Cornell alumna and partner at Boies Schiller Flexner, will lead attorneys and staff from both the firm and the attorney general's office.
The appointment follows Gov. Kathy Hochul's Oct. 1 executive order naming the attorney general's office as special prosecutor in the case. The order authorizes the office to investigate conduct described in the complaint in Jane Doe v. Cornell University and, if warranted, present evidence to a grand jury and prosecute resulting offenses.
James' office began looking for outside counsel the same day Hochul signed Executive Order No. 64. The order permits the office to bring in an outside lawyer to lead the investigation.
Kelly's team will gather and analyze evidence, review previous investigative records and reports, interview witnesses, and examine the facts and applicable law. The team will report to the attorney general's office.
“The Office of the Attorney General is committed to a thorough investigation guided only by the facts, the evidence, and the law,” James said.
James said Kelly had overseen cases from investigation through trial and pointed to her criminal law and judicial experience in explaining the selection.
Kelly said she would bring her experience as a federal prosecutor to an examination of all available evidence. “All New Yorkers deserve a fair and thorough inquiry into the facts of this case,” she said.
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Before entering private practice, Kelly served in the U.S. attorney's office for the Southern District of New York. She was the first chief of the Civil Rights Unit in its Criminal Division, overseeing investigations and prosecutions involving official misconduct, sexual exploitation and abuse, hate crimes and voting rights violations.
Kelly joined Boies Schiller Flexner as a partner in 2025. Her practice includes regulatory and criminal investigations and representation of victims of sexual assault and other crimes.
She previously clerked for U.S. District Judges Ronnie Abrams in the Southern District of New York and Kevin McNulty in New Jersey. She graduated from Cornell University and Columbia Law School.
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