Wisconsin frat leaders arrested after 30 pledges found in filthy basement, injured and covered in condiments - NBC News

The Madison Police Department said it got an anonymous tip about an event happening in the basement of an off-campus chapter house tied to Alpha Epsilon Pi. Officers arrived around 8:20 p.m. Wednesday and found the pledges, most of them 18 years old, partially clothed and packed into the filthy space.

Alpha Epsilon Pi lost its status as a recognized campus chapter back in 2015. The organization kept operating out of the Madison house anyway, running pledge activities that led directly to this week's arrests.

For the incoming students who showed up expecting to join a brotherhood, the night ended with injuries and a police response instead. The two fraternity leaders now face criminal hazing charges. The case raises fresh questions about how an organization banned from a university a decade ago managed to keep recruiting new members right under everyone's nose.