Attorney General James Appoints Veteran Prosecutor as Outside Counsel in Cornell University Investigation

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced the appointment of former Civil Rights Unit Chief for the Criminal Division in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York Jacqueline Kelly as outside counsel to lead a fair and comprehensive criminal investigation into an alleged sexual assault on Cornell University’s campus in October 2024. Kelly is an alumna of Cornell University and Columbia Law School, and currently serves as partner at international law firm Boies Schiller Flexner. Kelly will lead an investigative team of attorneys and staff from the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and Boies Schiller Flexner.

“The Office of the Attorney General is committed to a thorough investigation guided only by the facts, the evidence, and the law,” said Attorney General James. “Jacqueline 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.”

“I thank Attorney General James for entrusting me to lead this investigation with her office,” said Jacqueline Kelly. “All New Yorkers deserve a fair and thorough inquiry into the facts of this case. 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.”

On October 1, 2026, Governor Kathy Hochul signed Executive Order No. 64, appointing OAG as a special prosecutor to “investigate the conduct of, and, if warranted, present evidence to a grand jury against and prosecute offenses arising out of the allegations of a sexual assault described in the complaint in Jane Doe v. Cornell University.” The same day, OAG began a search for potential outside counsel to lead the investigation, as permitted by the Executive Order.

Kelly and her team have been charged with conducting a thorough investigation, including, but not limited to, gathering and analyzing evidence; reviewing previous investigative records and reports; conducting witness interviews; and analyzing the facts and applicable law. Kelly and her team will report to OAG.

About Jacqueline Kelly
Kelly joined Boies Schiller Flexner as Partner in 2025, where she focuses on high-profile regulatory and criminal investigations, and represents victims of sexual assault and other crimes. Prior to entering private practice, Kelly served as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. As the inaugural chief of the Civil Rights Unit in the Criminal Division, Kelly oversaw investigations and prosecutions of civil rights offenses including official misconduct, sexual exploitation and abuse, hate crimes, and voting rights violations. Before working as a federal prosecutor, Kelly clerked for the Hon. Ronnie Abrams of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and the Hon. Kevin McNulty of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. She is a graduate of Cornell University and Columbia Law School.