Editor's Note: This article contains details about sexual assault.
22 year old former Cornell student Bilguun Enkhbayar was convicted of Rape in the First Degree and Burglary in the Second Degree on Nov. 24 after a week-long jury trial found him guilty of all charges, according to a Nov. 25 press release by Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten.
The Sun was unable to verify Enkhbayar’s student class year and could not find him in a directory of Cornell NetID’s .
Enkhbayar, then 20 years old, was arrested on Sept. 12, 2024 by the Cornell University Police Department with assistance from the Ithaca Police Department, a CUPD information release on Instagram stated at the time. According to the CUPD release, his arrest was the result of an investigation by CUPD and the Tompkins County DA’s Office into a sexual assault that occured on Cornell’s campus early the morning of Sept. 1, 2024.
Before his arrest a Tompkins County grand jury had indicted Enkhbayar on charges of first-degree rape and second-degree burglary. He was found guilty of both these charges by the trial jury on Nov. 24.
According to the DA’s press release, he had been indicted “with knowingly and unlawfully entering a dorm room with the intent to commit a crime therein.” The release also stated that Enkbayar engaged “in vaginal sexual contact with another person who was incapable of consent by reason of being physically helpless.”
The charge of rape in the first degree is the most serious of the three classifications of rape crimes in New York State and is a Class B felony – holding a maximum penalty of 25 years in state prison. According to New York State law, Class B felonies must carry at least a five year prison sentence.
Enkhbayar’s defense attorney, Jeff Alan Chabrowe, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Sentencing has been scheduled for February 24, 2026 at 1:30 p.m. before Tompkins County Judge Scott A. Miller.
Benjamin Leynse is a member of the Class of 2027 in the College of Arts and Sciences. He is a news editor for the 143rd Editorial Board and can be reached at bleynse@cornellsun.com.
