Student accused in Cornell gang-rape has ties to school in Broward

One of the men named in a civil complaint involving the alleged gang rape of a Cornell student is a 2023 high school graduate from Nova Southeastern University College Preparatory School, records show.

Read more DeSantis signs death warrant for record 20th execution of the year in Florida

The Broward-based university put out a statement on Sunday saying that the university prioritizes students’ safety after claims circulated that the accused man transferred to the university after the alleged rape.

“We are all concerned about reports of serious allegations of sexual abuse that occurred approximately two years ago at another university and may involve a student who later transferred to NSU,” Harry K. Moon, president and CEO of NSU wrote in the statement.

Jonathan Newell, who is named in the filed Sept. 16 in New York County Court, a case that has sparked national outrage over the Ivy League’s handling of the reported assault, graduated from NSU University School, according to a 2023 Instagram post congratulating him on his acceptance to Cornell University, where he majored in biological sciences.

The lawsuit alleges that Newell, alongside six other members of the Xi Chapter of the Chi Phi fraternity at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, raped the student on Oct. 19, 2024, at the fraternity house.

Moon’s statement neither confirmed nor denied whether one of the men accused in the Cornell University lawsuit attended the university, and it did not identify the student. Instead, the statement noted that the sexual assault allegations “may involve a student who later transferred to NSU.”

“At the time of admission, the university was not aware of allegations subsequently reported in media,” the statement reads. “Once we learned of the reported incident, we acted immediately on behalf of the safety and well-being of our students and the NSU community. Because this matter involves federal law regarding an individual student, the university is legally restricted by federal regulations that limit what the university can share.”

The Cornell Daily Sun reported that Newell and the other named accused Matthew Ingalls were expelled from the university.

The day of the alleged assault, Newell and Ingalls began passing around ketamine, dissociative anesthetic with hallucinogenic properties, according to the lawsuit.

“Defendants Ingalls and Newell then pressured Plaintiff into snorting the alleged Ketamine with them, a drug she had never done before,” the lawsuit reads. They also plied her with marijuana and “Jamaican liquor,” which is believed to be a high-proof rum.

Read more Roaches and food mold at a Coral Gables restaurant that failed 2 inspections

Soon after, Newell and Ingalls began to assault and rape her, according to the lawsuit. Another man, Gillio Lopes, is also accused of then joined in on the assault.

At around 1:42 a.m. Newell sent a message into Xi Chapter’s Snapchat group titled “Chi Phi Actives” promoting “free p—-“ upstairs.

“In doing so, Defendant Newell organized and encouraged other XI chapter members to join in on the gang rape of Plaintiff in the XI chapter fraternity house.” He is also accused of forcing Jane Doe to snort ketamine off his penis.

Winston Lee, Diego Sarabia, Scott Norris, and Scott Kretzschmar are all accused of participating in the gang rape, according to the lawsuit. All seven are accused of pouring lines of Ketamine all over her body and snorting them, per the lawsuit.

The assault ended at around 5:45 a.m. Jane Doe reported the rape weeks later to the Cornell University Police Department and the Xi chapter was placed on a temporary suspension for alleged violations of the Student Code of Conduct, per the lawsuit. However, no charges were brought against any of the accused men named in the lawsuit.

The university investigated under Title IX of the U.S. civil rights law, which bars sexual misconduct at universities receiving federal money.

On Sept. 28, the Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office announced the reopening of the sexual assault investigation after Jane Doe filed the civil lawsuit.

“It is my responsibility to seek justice,” District Attorney Matthew Van Houten wrote in a statement. “At the same time, I recognize the reality that it can take years of therapy and healing for victims of sexual assaults to fully process and understand what happened to them. Seeking justice sometimes requires us to reconsider or reopen cases when we are provided with additional evidence.”

Read more After his arrest in Miami, Rick Ross makes good on unusual promise

This story was originally published October 6, 2026 at 1:07 PM.