Wells Fargo fires one of the ‘Cornell 7’ frat bros accused of drugging and gang raping fellow student: report

Wells Fargo fires one of the ‘Cornell 7’ frat bros accused of drugging and gang raping fellow student: report The former Chi Phi member had worked for the bank since 2022, according to a report - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in A former Cornell University fraternity member who was allegedly part of the drugging and raping of a fellow student has been fired from his job at Wells Fargo, according to a report. Diego Sarabia, one of seven men accused in a civil lawsuit of assaulting a female Cornell student in October 2024, was let go from his job at the bank in Charlotte, North Carolina, TMZ reported. The former Chi Phi member had worked for the bank since 2022, according to the outlet. His firing was directly related to Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten saying Monday that his office is considering criminal charges, sources told the outlet. The Independent has contacted Wells Fargo for comment. It was unclear Tuesday if Sarabia had legal representation. According to the civil filing, the lawsuit was sent to an address for Sarabia in Connecticut. The woman, identified only as Jane Doe, filed a civil suit September 16 in New York County Supreme Court alleging that when she was 20 years old and a member of a sorority on campus, she was drugged and gang-raped inside the Chi Phi fraternity house. The case has prompted scrutiny of Cornell’s handling of sexual assault cases and led prosecutors to reopen their investigation. The Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office said Monday it reopened the case to seek a grand jury review after being “asked by the community to revisit the decision whether to pursue criminal charges against the seven fraternity members.” Van Houten said no criminal charges were initially filed because Doe’s civil suit allegations are “dramatically different” from her statement to police in 2024. Doe’s lawyer, Thomas Giuffra, said the information she gave Cornell authorities at the time was not “materially different” from the lawsuit. The civil complaint says that Doe was visiting a friend at the Chi Phi fraternity house and was intoxicated when two male students pressured her into snorting a substance they claimed was ketamine. She became incapacitated while fraternity members sexually assaulted her, the suit alleges. After an initial assault, one of the men sent a message to the fraternity’s Snapchat group stating there was “free p****” and inviting other members to join. Multiple male students later arrived, and Doe was subjected to an hours-long assault by seven of them, according to the complaint. The filing details graphic abuse, including men snorting lines of ketamine off Doe’s body, moving her between rooms, and continuing to rape and sexually assault her while she was incapacitated, before she finally lost consciousness around 5:45 a.m. The civil lawsuit names the seven fraternity members, the Chi Phi chapter, Chi Phi National and Cornell University, among others, for their alleged roles in failing to monitor, supervise or protect Doe. Doe, who dropped out of the university after the incident, is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive monetary damages, alleging breach of contract, negligence, negligent supervision, premises liability and state law violations. An attorney for Scott Kretzschmar, one of the men named in the lawsuit, told ABC News the incident did not happen. “At bottom, Scott never sexually assaulted or even touched the plaintiff in any way. Period. We look forward to confronting the plaintiff in a court of law for her selfishly false claims with both the evidence and her own words,” his lawyer, Jeremy Saland, said in a statement. The Independent has contacted Saland Law for comment. Scott Norris, another man named in the lawsuit, told ABC News through an unnamed attorney: "I did not participate in any sexual activity or drug use. I was not found responsible by Cornell for any of the accusations involving sexual activity and drug use for which others received serious consequences. I thoughtlessly engaged in Snapchat and briefly stopped in the room where misconduct happened but not when it happened." In an initial statement following the lawsuit, Cornell said it takes allegations of sexual violence “extremely seriously” and that it “investigated and adjudicated the allegations consistent with university policies.” Cornell’s Vice President for University Relations, Kyle Kimball, said Monday that the school supports the district attorney’s decision to reopen the investigation. “Cornell also conducted a thorough Title IX investigation, which is separate from a criminal proceeding, over the course of several months. During that investigation, temporary suspensions and other restrictive measures were used. After investigation, and pursuant to federal law, the matter was sent to a hearing where a panel of trained faculty and staff heard evidence over multiple days,” the statement read. “The complainant and respondents had the opportunity to testify and present evidence. At its conclusion, the hearing panel issued a range of sanctions, which included expulsions and suspensions from Cornell. None of the individuals charged were offered the opportunity to write essays as a sole consequence of their involvement.” The university noted that the fraternity had been closed in 2024 and remained prohibited from campus. “Any suggestion that the university did not impose consequential punishments for those involved is false,” the statement added. “A continuation of the false narrative that there were minimal consequences in this case is irresponsible, will make survivors feel less safe and supported, and will perpetuate the underreporting of sexual assault.” The university also said that a school task force on campus sexual assault, which was formed in 2025, made recommendations earlier this year, some of which had been implemented while others remained in development. The task force found in a 2025 school survey that 35 percent of undergraduate women and 8 percent of undergraduate men reported experiencing sexual assault during their time at Cornell. For those affected by rape and sexual abuse, if you are in the United States, you can call Rainn on 800-656-HOPE (4673). Rape Crisis also offers support.You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments