INTERLOCHEN, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – An independent investigation into historical sexual abuse at Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan found that Jeffrey Epstein’s ties to the prestigious arts school extended beyond donations, with two former students telling investigators they experienced sexual misconduct after meeting the disgraced financier through his relationship with the institution.
The 97-page report, released this week by Sanghavi Law Office, was commissioned by Interlochen after alumni came forward with historical allegations of abuse. Investigators conducted approximately 180 interviews and documented about 70 firsthand accounts involving 47 adults affiliated with the school spanning from the 1950s through the 2010s. Investigators emphasized that the report documents allegations shared by alumni and does not determine whether the reported conduct occurred.
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According to the law firm, 47 individuals affiliated with Interlochen are accused of engaging in sexual misconduct with students during that period. Seventeen of the accused are now deceased, and none are currently employed by Interlochen.
Epstein’s connection to Interlochen.
Also according to the report, Jeffrey Epstein was an Interlochen donor from 1990 through 2003, funding scholarships for students and helping finance a lodge that once bore his name. During the investigation, Interlochen specifically asked investigators to examine his relationship with the school after questions surfaced about his past involvement. Interlochen told investigators the Epstein Lodge was renamed Green Lake Lodge in 2009 and demolished the building in June 2026 after giving law enforcement an opportunity to document it for potential future evidentiary purposes.
Two alumni describe encounters with Epstein.
Of eight alumni contacted about Epstein, six agreed to be interviewed. Two reported firsthand accounts of sexual misconduct. Both said their interactions with Epstein occurred when he was still a donor to Interlochen.
One former student said she met Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell at Interlochen and they offered to pay her tuition. She told investigators the pair later withdrew financial support after she refused requested conduct. She alleged Epstein touched her inappropriately at his lodge on the Interlochen campus and later flew her to New York three times while she was still a student, where she described additional unwanted touching. She said she never discussed the alleged conduct until decades later.
A second alum told investigators Epstein paid for a trip to New York after she graduated from Interlochen, where she said he had her give him a massage and may have asked her to remove her top. According to the report, her mother said she promptly called Interlochen to warn that Epstein was “preying on their students,” but never received any follow-up. Investigators said they found no records showing the school received notice of misconduct by Epstein at the time.
Campus access questioned.
Interlochen records confirmed that Epstein helped pay tuition for a small number of Camp and Academy students, including the alum who told investigators he covered her tuition. Investigators found no records showing the school had been notified of misconduct by Epstein at the time, and no current or former employees interviewed said they were aware he had engaged in sexual misconduct with students.
One former student recalled receiving warnings about Epstein from two adults affiliated with Interlochen. While many alumni expressed concern about Epstein’s and Ghislaine Maxwell’s presence and access to campus, most had no direct interactions with them, instead viewing their apparent unfettered access to students as part of a broader failure to limit outside adults’ access to children at the institution.
While the report stops short of determining whether the alleged conduct occurred, it concludes that Epstein’s relationship with Interlochen gave him unusual access to students at one of the nation’s premier arts schools. The findings also raise new questions about how institutions historically balanced donor relationships with student safety – questions that continue to surface years after Epstein’s death.
