Cornell University police officers received an anonymous tip regarding the Chi Phi fraternity’s efforts to suppress details of a reported sexual assault, records show. The tip came one day after a campus-wide alert in October 2024 notified students about the alleged rape that occurred at the fraternity house.
According to school documents reviewed by ABC News, the caller reported that fraternity leaders instructed a potential witness to remain quiet, warning that the “reputation of all involved and the frat would be ruined” if the incident became public knowledge.
Following the alert, investigators began questioning witnesses about the suspected coverup. A female student told investigators that the fraternity held a meeting to ensure all members shared the same narrative. She stated that group text messages showed the brothers characterized the event as a “consensual orgy” but feared it would damage their image.
The allegations center on Jane Doe, an undergraduate who filed a complaint with campus police in November 2024, three weeks after the incident. She accused eight to ten men of raping her at the Chi Phi house. The case has ignited national discussions about how colleges handle sexual assault claims.
In 2024, Cornell police interviewed at least two fraternity members. One brother stated that the incident was only discussed informally during a weekly chapter meeting focused on recognizing members, rather than as a formal investigation. Popular reads and social media activity have kept the story in the public eye.
Text messages obtained by ABC News reveal a scramble among brothers after the university suspended the Chi Phi chapter. Fraternity president Matthew Ingalls, who invited Jane Doe to the house, exchanged messages asking when he last spoke with her and discussing a plan of action. Ingalls told investigators he did not believe she would have reported the incident.
All seven accused fraternity members have denied any wrongdoing. Ingalls, who has not been charged with a crime, portrayed himself as a victim in the incident, telling investigators he was too intoxicated to consent. In a February 2025 email to Cornell’s Title IX investigator, Ingalls accused the university of entrapment and gender discrimination, claiming he was sodomized while incapacitated and that officials failed to inform him of his rights as a survivor.
Jane Doe has filed a civil lawsuit, and New York Attorney General Letitia James is conducting a separate investigation into the incident.
Eight to ten men accused and a coordinated effort to suppress testimony. Cornell really needs to answer for how this was handled.
The text messages describing it as a ‘consensual orgy’ while allegedly pressuring silence feel like a classic coverup tactic. How do we stop this?
Wait, the president claims he was sodomized and a victim of entrapment? This case has gotten incredibly twisted and complicated.
It is deeply troubling that witnesses were pressured to stay silent. The focus on ‘reputation’ over accountability is alarming.