New Mexico officials reopened a state investigation into alleged illegal activity at Jeffrey Epstein’s former Zorro Ranch, Attorney General Raúl Torrez’s office said Thursday, tying the decision to information recently released by the U.S. Department of Justice. The state said it will seek access to a complete federal case file and coordinate with other law enforcement partners as it evaluates whether additional criminal activity at the secluded property near Santa Fe should be examined under New Mexico law.
The New Mexico Department of Justice said its special agents and prosecutors are seeking “immediate access to the complete, unredacted federal case file,” and that they intend to work with other law enforcement partners and with a new truth commission created by state lawmakers. In a statement, the agency said it would, as with any potential criminal matter, follow the facts, evaluate jurisdictional considerations, and take appropriate investigative steps, including collecting and preserving any relevant evidence that remains available.
The reopening follows New Mexico’s earlier decision to close its own case in 2019, when state prosecutors had been asked by federal prosecutors in New York to stop pursuing the matter. State prosecutors now say, after reviewing developments tied to the federal government’s release of Epstein-related records, that additional examination is warranted.
In explaining the renewed review, state prosecutors said that “revelations outlined in the previously sealed FBI files warrant further examination.” The language was part of the case background that New Mexico’s reopened investigation is built on, according to the state’s account of the decision process after the federal materials became available.
The reopening is among several developments in the continuing fallout from the federal release of “Epstein files,” which have prompted renewed scrutiny across multiple jurisdictions. On Thursday, British police arrested the former Prince Andrew on suspicion of misconduct in public office tied to his links to Epstein.
In Washington, members of Congress continued efforts to examine Epstein-related allegations through testimony and public hearings. The AP report said a video was released of a six-hour deposition of billionaire retail mogul Les Wexner in which he said he did not know of or participate in Epstein’s crimes and insisted the two “weren’t friends.” It also said Hillary Clinton is scheduled to appear before the House Oversight Committee next week, with former President Bill Clinton following the next day.
In New Mexico, the state’s truth commission held its first meeting Tuesday, and lawmakers have said its work will include looking into allegations of abuse and trafficking tied to the ranch. The commission is also intended to examine why Epstein was not registered as a sex offender in New Mexico after he pleaded guilty in 2008 in Florida to soliciting prostitution from an underage girl, and to look into whether there was corruption among public officials.
While Epstein was never charged in New Mexico, state prosecutors confirmed in 2019 that they had interviewed possible victims who visited the ranch south of Santa Fe, but they did not elaborate on how many people were interviewed or what investigators say those interviews described. In the same period of renewed attention, lawyers for Epstein accusers said they had reached a proposed settlement in a class action lawsuit against his estate, which would require a judge’s approval.
The AP report said the estate would pay between $25 million and $35 million depending on how many victims qualify. It also said the estate previously paid 136 claimants a total of $121 million through its Epstein Victims Compensation Program and paid more than $48 million to settle claims from 59 other victims, according to court records.
Details about the ranch and who visited it have also appeared repeatedly in the released federal materials. Epstein purchased the property in 1993 from former Democratic Gov. Bruce King and built a hilltop mansion, and AP reported the property included an airstrip with a hangar and helipad, as well as 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. Huffines said in a social media post on X that 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 said the owners have never been approached by law enforcement seeking access to the ranch and that if they are, the family would cooperate.
AP also reported that thousands of references to the ranch appear in documents released by federal authorities. It said former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson was among guests who visited the ranch and that Richardson donated $50,000 in 2006 gubernatorial campaign contributions from Epstein to charity. Emails and schedules released by federal authorities, the report said, listed invitations over the years to entrepreneurs, actors and scientists including Woody Allen, Robert Redford, Reid Hoffman, Joi Ito and Peter Thiel.
New Mexico officials also previously described barriers to oversight. The AP report said Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard canceled grazing leases held by the ranch in 2019 after her office was denied access to inspect nearly 2 square miles (5 square kilometers) of leased state land. In a letter sent last week, Garcia Richard called on federal authorities and state prosecutors to ensure a thorough criminal investigation into allegations related to the ranch and said the allegations were “deeply disturbing.”
The reopened investigation comes as new accounts about alleged conduct at the ranch have resurfaced in the years after Epstein’s death. The AP report cited a court statement in 2019 from a woman identified as Jane Doe who said Epstein molested her at Zorro Ranch in 2004, when she was 15. Garcia Richard also said, in a statement, that “People deserve to know the truth about what happened on Epstein’s ranch and are looking to leaders for answers.”
The state’s renewed work will now depend on what remains accessible in evidence and on whether investigators can obtain the unredacted federal case file the New Mexico Department of Justice said it is seeking. As the investigation resumes, New Mexico officials said they will follow the facts and evaluate jurisdictional considerations before taking further action.