The College of Charleston has closed an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct by former tenured music professor Enrique Graf. In a press release today, the college said that the school’s Department of Public Safety had “determined that there is not sufficient evidence to support an arrest or criminal charges.”
Graf was the school’s artist in residence and taught the postgraduate Artist Certificate program for pianists. He resigned June 2 in the midst of an investigation that began after a student made accusations of sexual misconduct in March 2013. According to a college spokesman, Graf is still banned from campus and all college-related events, and Graf will not be re-hired by the college.
According to today’s press release, the Department of Public Safety “reserves the right to reopen the investigation if new evidence is presented.”
The investigation, which involved help from the State Law Enforcement Division and the state Solicitor’s Office, began when a student walked into the Department of Public Safety office and made allegations of sexual abuse, sexual misconduct, and harassment by Graf. He also said that Graf had smoked marijuana with him and offered him beer and wine. In a response written to the City Paper, Graf called the allegations “absurd, baseless and untrue.”
Graf’s attorney, Allan Holmes, issued the following statement about the case today:
Your newspaper and others have reported accusations made against Enrique Graf. The accusations were and are totally false and without merit. None of them has led to any legal action being taken against Mr. Graf, and the College of Charleston’s own criminal investigation has similarly resulted in no charges being filed. As shown by the report, the findings of this investigation have been reviewed and approved by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), and an Assistant State Attorney for the State of South Carolina. All have recommended that the matter be closed.
A review of the report shows the complete absurdity of the allegations. In particular, we call your attention to the interviews of the many students who refuted those charges. These include the former romantic interest of the unidentified student accuser. She describes the man as a heavy abuser of drugs who was hallucinating, hearing voices and paranoid at the time he made his outrageous claims. Her description of his condition is independently corroborated by yet another student.
In other words, there is absolutely no substantiation of these charges, brought against a man with an impeccable record of professional excellence as an artist and teacher.
The college has released a report on the criminal investigation with the names of victims and witnesses redacted. You can read the report below:
College of Charleston Enrique Graf investigation
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