Diego Sarabia: Grand Jury Review Brings Renewed Focus to Cornell Case
Diego Sarabia, a 2025 Cornell University graduate with a background in commercial real estate, is receiving renewed public attention after being named as one of seven individual defendants in a civil lawsuit involving an alleged 2024 sexual assault at Cornell’s Chi Phi fraternity house.
The lawsuit was filed by a former Cornell student identified as Jane Doe. It contains serious allegations against Sarabia and six other current or former fraternity members. Sarabia has not been criminally charged, and the allegations against him have not been proven in court.
Interest in Sarabia increased again after prosecutors announced that the criminal investigation into the broader incident would be reopened and presented to a grand jury. Separate reports have also claimed that Sarabia is no longer employed by Wells Fargo, although the bank has not publicly explained the circumstances of his reported departure.
Who Is Diego Sarabia?
Diego Sarabia is a former Cornell University student from Bethel, Connecticut.
He graduated from Cornell in 2025 after studying at the university’s Nolan School of Hotel Administration, where his academic focus included real estate finance.
Public professional information shows that Sarabia spent his college years preparing for a career in commercial real estate and investment.
He was also connected with the Xi chapter of Chi Phi at Cornell.
Cornell’s directory now identifies Sarabia as an alumnus rather than a current student.
His name became nationally known in September 2026 after a civil complaint brought renewed attention to allegations stemming from an October 2024 incident at the fraternity house.
What Did Sarabia Study at Cornell?
Sarabia attended Cornell from 2021 until 2025.
His studies focused heavily on real estate finance, fitting with the professional path he later pursued.
During college, he was associated with organizations connected to hospitality and real estate.
His professional background also included internships and programs designed to prepare students for work in commercial property investment and finance.
Before joining Wells Fargo, Sarabia had experience with Project Destined and the State of Wisconsin Investment Board.
In 2023, he announced a real estate internship with the Wisconsin investment organization.
A year later, he joined Wells Fargo as a commercial real estate summer analyst within the company’s Corporate and Investment Banking division.
What Is the Chi Phi Lawsuit About?
The civil lawsuit centers on events that Jane Doe alleges took place during the night of October 19 and early morning of October 20, 2024.
According to the complaint, Doe had been drinking earlier in the evening before arriving at Cornell’s Chi Phi fraternity house.
She alleges that she was pressured into consuming additional substances, including marijuana and what was represented to her as ketamine.
The lawsuit claims she became severely intoxicated and was unable to give consent.
It then alleges that several fraternity members sexually assaulted her over a period of hours.
Seven men are individually named as defendants in the civil case, including Sarabia.
These remain allegations made in a lawsuit. No court has ruled that Sarabia committed the conduct alleged against him.
What Does the Lawsuit Allege About Diego Sarabia?
The complaint contains specific allegations concerning Sarabia’s actions inside the fraternity house.
According to the lawsuit, Sarabia entered a room while Doe was attempting to cover herself with bedding.
She alleges that Sarabia grabbed her face and kissed her while she attempted to push him away.
The complaint further alleges that Sarabia was among a group of fraternity members who later poured and snorted lines of what was described as ketamine from Doe’s body.
Again, these statements describe the plaintiff’s allegations and should not be presented as established findings of fact.
Sarabia has not been convicted of any crime in connection with the case, and as of the latest publicly available information, no criminal charge has been filed against him.
Why Was the Criminal Investigation Reopened?
The alleged incident was previously investigated, but prosecutors did not initially bring criminal charges.
That changed in September 2026 after the civil lawsuit brought additional allegations and renewed national attention to the case.
Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten announced that his office would reopen its criminal investigation and prepare the case for presentation to a grand jury.
Van Houten has said his office wants to determine whether evidence is now available that prosecutors did not have when the case was initially reviewed in 2024.
The district attorney assigned a senior prosecutor with experience handling sexual assault cases to prepare the matter for the grand jury.
A reopened investigation does not itself establish guilt.
A grand jury will consider evidence and determine whether there is a legal basis for criminal charges.
Why Were Charges Not Filed Earlier?
The earlier decision not to prosecute has become an important part of the renewed debate around the case.
Prosecutors have said the account originally given to law enforcement in 2024 differed significantly from allegations later made in the civil lawsuit.
The woman’s legal team has disputed suggestions that those differences justify the way the original investigation was handled.
The renewed inquiry is intended to look again at the evidence, including information that may not have been available during the initial review.
The legal situation therefore remains unsettled.
The civil lawsuit is continuing separately from the reopened criminal investigation.
What Happened to Chi Phi at Cornell?
Cornell took action against the fraternity chapter after the allegations first surfaced in 2024.
The Chi Phi chapter was suspended and later permanently removed from campus.
Cornell has said its own internal process led to disciplinary sanctions against students involved in the case, including suspensions and expulsions.
The university has not publicly identified which individual received each sanction, citing student privacy requirements.
Cornell has also disputed some descriptions of its disciplinary process contained in the lawsuit.
The civil complaint has nevertheless placed the university’s response under intense scrutiny and alleges that Cornell and other organizations failed to adequately protect the plaintiff.
Cornell has said it supports the renewed criminal investigation.
Was Diego Sarabia Fired by Wells Fargo?
Sarabia’s employment has become another major part of the developing story.
His professional profile previously identified him as working in commercial real estate with Wells Fargo after having joined the bank through its summer analyst program.
A report published after prosecutors reopened the investigation said Sarabia was no longer employed by Wells Fargo and attributed that information to sources described as having direct knowledge.
However, Wells Fargo has not publicly issued a detailed statement explaining whether Sarabia was fired, resigned or left for another reason.
Earlier local reporting had contacted the bank seeking confirmation of his employment status but did not receive an immediate response.
For that reason, claims that he was specifically terminated because of the lawsuit or reopened investigation should still be described as reported rather than independently confirmed by the company.
Online Attention Has Increased Around Sarabia
Sarabia’s name began circulating widely on social media after the lawsuit became public.
Some users called on Wells Fargo to take action against him, while others contacted or tagged companies reportedly connected to defendants named in the lawsuit.
Those online reactions show the level of anger generated by the allegations, but social media posts are not evidence of criminal guilt.
The distinction is particularly important because Sarabia has not been criminally charged.
The case is now moving through formal legal channels where evidence can be reviewed and challenged.
What Happens Next?
The most important development is the reopened criminal investigation.
Prosecutors now intend to present the case to a Tompkins County grand jury with the cooperation of Jane Doe.
The grand jury process will determine whether the available evidence supports criminal charges against any person connected with the alleged incident.
Meanwhile, the civil lawsuit remains pending.
That case could also produce responses, evidence and legal arguments from Sarabia and the other defendants.
Until those processes develop further, the legal status is clear: Diego Sarabia is a Cornell alumnus named as a defendant in a civil lawsuit containing serious sexual assault allegations, but he has not been found liable in court and has not been criminally charged.
The reopening of the investigation means the allegations will now receive another level of legal review, while his reported departure from Wells Fargo has added professional consequences and further public attention to an already closely watched case.
