Investigation Reveals Allegations Against Jeffrey Epstein and Several Others

The Interlochen Center for the Arts, a renowned Michigan institution, faces serious allegations of sexual misconduct involving Jeffrey Epstein and many others. Two individuals from the school’s community have accused Epstein, a significant donor, of inappropriate behavior. An investigation uncovered accusations spanning decades against nearly 50 other individuals.

Interlochen, known for its summer camp and performing arts school attracting global students, engaged a law firm in 2024 to probe abuse claims involving faculty and staff. The scope later expanded to include Epstein, a financier who died by suicide in jail in 2019. Epstein’s name was removed from a school building following his 2008 conviction for sexual offenses in Florida. Recently, the building, once known as Green Lake Lodge, was demolished after the Justice Department released extensive documents related to Epstein.

Sanghavi Law Office collected 70 alum testimonies alleging “sexualized physical conduct” by 47 staff and faculty linked to Interlochen from the 1950s to 2010. Most incidents occurred before 2000. The report, spanning 97 pages, describes the information as devastating, with accounts of grooming, flirtation, sexual touching, and intercourse.

Interlochen has reported accused individuals’ names to Grand Traverse County authorities for possible actions. None are currently employed by Interlochen, and over a third have died. The institution’s president, Trey Davey, and board chair, Barrett Rollins, issued an apology acknowledging the harm endured by community members. They emphasized that a significant decrease in abuse reports occurred over the last 25 years, yet time does not diminish survivors’ experiences.

Currently, Interlochen claims to be fundamentally different, with comprehensive security policies and a transformed culture. Despite past incidents, the institution stated its commitment to student safety.

Jeffrey Epstein, a former camper at Interlochen in 1967, donated over $400,000 from 1990 through 2003. The report includes accounts from two women alleging Epstein engaged in sexual misconduct. One stated Epstein inappropriately touched her “over the clothing, in a manner that appeared accidental.” He reportedly funded her visits to New York during her student years, where his advances left her paralyzed with fear. The other woman recounted giving Epstein a massage at his home, adding he might have asked her to remove her top. She never interacted with Epstein or his partner Ghislaine Maxwell again.

Apart from the school’s investigation, federal records and news reports indicate at least two other former Interlochen students accused Epstein and Maxwell of grooming and abuse. These women’s identities remain undisclosed, though one testified against Maxwell in 2021, contributing to her conviction for sex trafficking.