ALBUQUERQUE — New Mexico’s attorney general has reopened an investigation into allegations of illegal activity at Jeffrey Epstein ’s former Zorro Ranch.
Atty. Gen. Raúl Torrez’s office made the announcement Thursday, saying the decision was made after reviewing information recently released by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Although New Mexico’s initial case was closed in 2019 at the request of federal prosecutors in New York, state prosecutors say now that “revelations outlined in the previously sealed FBI files warrant further examination.”
The New Mexico Department of Justice said special agents and prosecutors at the agency will be seeking immediate access to the complete, unredacted federal case file and intend to work with other law enforcement partners as well as a new truth commission established by state lawmakers to look into activities at the ranch.
“As with any potential criminal matter, we will follow the facts wherever they lead, carefully evaluate jurisdictional considerations, and take appropriate investigative action, including the collection and preservation of any relevant evidence that remains available,” the New Mexico Department of Justice said in a statement.
Renewed efforts to investigate the sex trafficking allegations
While Epstein never faced charges in New Mexico, state prosecutors confirmed in 2019 that they had interviewed possible victims who visited the ranch south of Santa Fe. They never elaborated on how many accusers were interviewed or what they say took place at the ranch.
The New Mexico Department of Justice did not immediately respond to emailed questions about why state prosecutors were aked to close the investigation in 2019 or whether there were specific allegations detailed within the recent filings that were released that prompted reopening the investigation.
On Tuesday, New Mexico’s truth commission had its first meeting. The bipartisan, four-member panel of state House representatives is charged with investigating allegations that the ranch may have facilitated sexual abuse and sex trafficking.
New Mexico lawmakers also said they want to know why Epstein was not registered as a sex offender after pleading guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from an underage girl and whether there was corruption among public officials.
Property is under new ownership
Epstein purchased the sprawling Zorro Ranch in New Mexico in 1993 from former Democratic Gov. Bruce King and built a hilltop mansion. Nearby was a private airstrip with a hangar and helipad. The property also included a ranch office, a firehouse and a seven-bay heated garage.
The property was sold by Epstein’s estate in 2023 — with proceeds going toward creditors — to the family of Don Huffines, a Republican running for state comptroller in Texas. In a social media post on X, Huffines said the property has been renamed San Rafael Ranch after a saint associated with healing and that his family plans to operate a Christian retreat there.
A spokesperson for Huffines has said that the owners have never been approached by local, state or federal law enforcement requesting access to the ranch and if they do, full cooperation will be granted.
Ranch appears many times in released documents
There are thousands of references to the ranch in the documents released by federal authorities.
Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a Democrat, was among the guests to have visited the ranch when Epstein owned it. Following one of the early investigations into the disgraced financier, Richardson donated $50,000 in 2006 gubernatorial campaign contributions from Epstein to charity.
New Mexico Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard in 2019 canceled grazing leases held by the ranch after her office was denied access to inspect the nearly 2 square miles of leased state land.
Garcia Richard in a letter sent last week called on federal authorities and state prosecutors to ensure a thorough criminal investigation into allegations related to the ranch. She called the allegations included in the latest documents “deeply disturbing.”
“People deserve to know the truth about what happened on Epstein’s ranch and are looking to leaders for answers,” she said in a statement.
Bryan writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City contributed to this report.
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