New Mexico says DOJ is blocking Epstein ranch investigation

New Mexico’s attorney general accused the US Department of Justice of delaying a state criminal investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s former ranch by withholding records. The dispute matters because state investigators say the files could determine whether crimes tied to Epstein’s Zorro Ranch can still be prosecuted.

Attorney General Raul Torrez released a June 30 letter to the Justice Department in which he said his office had been seeking access to federal Epstein records since February. Torrez, a Democrat, wrote that federal officials had offered verbal assurances but had not granted access, provided a substantive response or resolved the request after more than 130 days.

Torrez said the New Mexico Department of Justice considered the delay unreasonable. He argued that federal authorities now control records needed for the state to resume an inquiry that was paused years earlier.

State inquiry focuses on Zorro Ranch

New Mexico reopened its investigation in February after the federal government released millions of files connected to Epstein, the convicted sex offender and financier who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges. Some of those records involved Zorro Ranch, a property Epstein owned in central New Mexico starting in 1993.

Epstein built a large compound on the ranch and hosted guests there, according to Al Jazeera. Allegations of sex trafficking at the property have not been fully investigated.

New Mexico previously tried to examine Epstein’s activities at the ranch in 2019. Former state Attorney General Hector Balderas told US media at the time that his office was asked to halt its work so federal prosecutors could proceed with their case.

In his letter, Torrez said he intends to complete that earlier effort. He said the lack of access to unredacted records is causing “real and escalating harm” to the state’s investigation.

Torrez wrote that witnesses may move or become harder to find, memories may fade and evidence may become harder to authenticate as time passes. He said each day the federal government withholds records weakens the potential basis for a New Mexico prosecution.

Federal files under scrutiny

The Justice Department has denied obstructing New Mexico’s investigation and told US media it is ready to help, according to Al Jazeera.

The fight comes after the Trump administration faced criticism over its handling of Epstein-related records. President Donald Trump initially opposed releasing the files, then backed publication in November and signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which required the Justice Department to publish Epstein records within 30 days with limited redactions, except to protect victims’ identities.

Lawmakers later questioned whether the administration complied with the law. A first group of documents was released on December 19, and millions more came online in late January, many with extensive redactions, according to Al Jazeera. Some victims’ identities were also disclosed in the release.

Trump, who socialised with Epstein among other prominent figures, has denied knowing about or taking part in Epstein’s criminal activity.

The released files included a 2019 FBI record involving conservative talk show host Edward Aragon, who approached the bureau’s Albuquerque office about a tip concerning Zorro Ranch. The form said a tipster had allegedly offered Aragon videos of sexual abuse by Epstein and information about the location of two foreign girls buried on the ranch in exchange for one bitcoin.

The New York Times also reported in 2019, citing people familiar with Epstein’s plans, that Epstein wanted to use the ranch to impregnate multiple women and spread his DNA.

New Mexico in February created a bipartisan “truth commission” to examine Epstein’s crimes, the first state-level body of its kind, according to Al Jazeera. Its report is expected by the end of the year.

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.