Epstein Used Arts Camp Donations to Access Teen Victims, NPR Docs Show

Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell donated money to Interlochen Center for the Arts, an elite performing arts camp in Michigan, and used their access to the institution to identify and recruit victims, according to documents reviewed by NPR.¹ The financial relationship included funding for an on-campus lodge where Epstein and Maxwell stayed during visits to the school.¹

Two teenagers at Interlochen were pulled into Epstein and Maxwell’s orbit through their connection to the institution, NPR reported.¹ The documents show that the pair “lavished money” on the arts center to gain access to students.¹

Epstein himself had attended Interlochen as a student years before he began using the institution as a recruiting ground, according to NPR.¹

Bard College President’s Correspondence with Epstein

Leon Botstein, president of Bard College in New York, communicated with Epstein about music, watches, and young female musicians while seeking donations for his institution, The New York Times reported.² Botstein raised millions of dollars that helped save Bard College from closure.²

The Times described Botstein as “seen as a campus savior” for his fundraising efforts on behalf of the school.² The article examines the relationship between Botstein’s financial rescue of Bard and his conversations with Epstein.²

The report does not specify the dates of the communications or whether Epstein donated to Bard College. The Times noted that Botstein’s discussions with Epstein covered topics including music and young female musicians, though the specific content of these conversations was not detailed in the available excerpt.²

Gates Withdraws from India Conference

Bill Gates withdrew from India’s AI summit after controversy over his past meetings with Epstein, the BBC reported.³ The Gates Foundation issued a statement saying the decision was made “to ensure the focus remains on the summit’s key priorities.”³

The withdrawal follows earlier reporting on Gates’s connections to Epstein through multiple documented meetings.³ The Gates Foundation did not provide additional details about the timing of the withdrawal decision or whether Indian government officials requested the change.³

The BBC report did not specify which AI summit Gates was scheduled to attend or when the event is scheduled to take place.³ No Indian government officials were quoted in the available BBC excerpt regarding Gates’s withdrawal.³

Interlochen’s Role in Epstein’s Network

The Interlochen case represents a documented instance of Epstein and Maxwell using institutional access purchased through donations to identify potential victims, according to NPR’s review of documents.¹ The on-campus lodge they funded provided them with a physical presence at the school during their visits.¹

NPR reported that at least two teenagers connected to Interlochen became involved with Epstein and Maxwell.¹ The report did not specify whether these individuals have been identified in court documents or public statements about Epstein’s crimes.

Epstein’s personal history with Interlochen as a former student preceded his later financial relationship with the institution by several years, according to NPR.¹ The report did not detail what years Epstein attended the camp or what he studied there.

Pattern of Educational Institution Access

The NPR and Times reports document two separate elite educational institutions—one a youth performing arts camp and one a liberal arts college—where Epstein maintained relationships with administrators while seeking access to students or discussing young people.¹²

At Interlochen, the relationship involved direct financial contributions that funded facilities Epstein and Maxwell used during campus visits.¹ At Bard College, Botstein’s communications with Epstein occurred during a period when the college president was actively raising funds to prevent the institution’s closure.²

Neither report detailed whether administrators at these institutions were aware of Epstein’s criminal conduct at the time of their interactions with him. The Times described Botstein as having “Epstein ties” but did not specify whether Botstein received donations from Epstein or what actions, if any, Bard College has taken in response to the revealed communications.²

Gates Foundation Response

The Gates Foundation’s statement emphasized keeping attention on the AI summit’s agenda rather than on Gates’s attendance.³ The foundation did not address specific questions about Gates’s past meetings with Epstein in its statement to the BBC.³

Gates has previously acknowledged meeting with Epstein multiple times, according to earlier reporting. The BBC article did not include any new statements from Gates himself about the withdrawal or about his relationship with Epstein.³

The foundation’s reference to “the summit’s key priorities” indicated concerns that Gates’s presence would shift focus away from the conference’s artificial intelligence agenda.³ No details were provided about other speakers or participants in the summit.³

Institutional Responses

None of the three reports included statements from Interlochen Center for the Arts about its historical relationship with Epstein and Maxwell or any policy changes implemented since Epstein’s 2019 arrest and death.¹ The NPR report did not indicate whether the on-campus lodge funded by Epstein and Maxwell remains in operation or has been renamed.¹

The Times article did not include a statement from Bard College or from Botstein himself responding to the revealed communications with Epstein.² The article did not specify whether Bard has conducted any internal review of Botstein’s relationship with Epstein or whether the college received any donations from him.²

The BBC report indicated that the Gates withdrawal decision came from the Gates Foundation rather than from organizers of the Indian AI summit.³ No Indian government officials were quoted regarding their position on Gates’s participation.³

References

1. NPR — “Epstein once attended an elite arts camp. Years later, he used it to find his victims”
2. New York Times — “Leon Botstein, Bard College’s President, Had Epstein Ties. He Is Also Seen as a Campus Savior.”
3. BBC News — “Bill Gates pulls out of India’s AI summit over Epstein files controversy”