A sweeping investigation into sexual misconduct at Interlochen Center for the Arts, a prestigious Michigan fine arts school and summer camp, has revealed devastating allegations spanning seven decades and involving 47 adults accused of abuse. The 97-page report, released this week by Boston-based Sanghavi Law Office, documents 70 firsthand accounts of sexual misconduct ranging from the 1950s through the 2010s.
The investigation uncovered previously unreported allegations involving Jeffrey Epstein, the deceased financier who was a major donor to the institution. Two women who attended Interlochen reported conduct of a sexual nature by Epstein, who first attended the summer camp in 1967 and later donated more than $400,000 to the school between 1990 and 2003.
According to the investigation, one woman reported that Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell offered to pay for her tuition after she met them at Interlochen. She indicated that they withdrew financial support for subsequent schooling after she declined to engage in requested conduct. The same woman said that during her time interacting with Epstein and Maxwell at Interlochen, they invited her to Epstein’s lodge on campus, where Epstein engaged in sexual conduct with her by brushing against her body over her clothes. She also reported unwanted sexual physical contact during subsequent visits to Epstein’s New York home.
A second woman reported giving Epstein a massage at his home, during which he may have asked her to remove her top.
The investigation was commissioned after Interlochen received a report in 2024 about decades-old sexual misconduct. The school hired Sanghavi Law Office, a firm specializing in historical abuse investigations, to conduct an independent review. Over the course of two years, investigators conducted approximately 180 interviews with roughly 150 former Interlochen students and camp attendees, along with current and former administrators and family members.
The findings reveal that the vast majority of incidents occurred before 2000, with very few reports of abuse in the past 25 years. Of the 47 adults accused, none are currently employed by Interlochen, and approximately one-third are deceased. The school has provided the names of accused individuals to Grand Traverse County authorities to determine what legal steps, if any, might be taken.
The report details accounts ranging from inappropriate comments and violations of professional boundaries to egregious acts of sexual abuse and violence. According to the investigation, alumni reported experiencing grooming, flirting, sexual touching, and sex. Some alumni described being unaware of proper reporting channels, while others said they encountered inadequate institutional responses when they did report misconduct.
One alumna told investigators she could not say which trauma was greater: the conduct of an adult abuser at Interlochen or the way she was treated by school staff once she reported the conduct. Another noted that her awareness of sexual conduct by adults at the institution made her feel that students were left to fend for themselves.
The investigation noted that romantic and sexually intimate relationships between faculty and students were well-known at Interlochen during the 1970s and appeared to be tolerated, with staff apparently approving students spending unsupervised time with faculty after curfew or overnight.
When Epstein was first convicted of sex offenses in Florida in 2008, Interlochen removed his name from donor recognition signage and renamed the lodge that bore his name to the Green Lake Lodge. A subsequent investigation at that time found no evidence that Epstein had committed crimes at Interlochen. The lodge was demolished in June 2026 after the U.S. Justice Department released millions of pages of documents about Epstein.
Interlochen President Trey Devey said the investigation findings were devastating. “The abuse described in the report is absolutely heartbreaking. It’s contrary to everything this institution stands for, and we’re grateful to everyone who came forward to share their experiences, and we’re deeply sorry for the harm experienced by members of our community,” Devey said.
School officials emphasized that while the vast majority of incidents occurred decades ago and abuse reports have significantly decreased over the past 25 years, the passage of time does not diminish survivors’ experiences. Interlochen stated that the institution today is fundamentally different from the one described in the report, with comprehensive safety policies and a changed culture.
The school has opened channels for additional reporting. Former federal civil rights attorney Elizabeth Sanghavi is available through October 2026 to receive new allegations and can be contacted at [email protected] or 617-505-3010. After that date, reports can be made to Interlochen directly at [email protected].