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New Mexico is suing the Department of Justice (DOJ) for access to a set of unredacted Jeffrey Epstein records, alleging the agency is withholding documents that could aid the state’s investigation into the convicted sex offender’s alleged crimes at a remote ranch outside Santa Fe.
The 40-page complaint, which also names acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, accuses the DOJ of “stonewalling” the state probe into Zorro Ranch, a property reportedly mentioned thousands of times in the Epstein files where survivors say they were subjected to trafficking and sexual abuse.
“USDOJ and Acting Attorney General Blanche are refusing to facilitate the investigation of state law crimes by hiding information about Epstein and his co-conspirators from Attorney General Torrez and state law enforcement, when New Mexico is one of few jurisdictions that still may have an opportunity to hold Epstein’s associates accountable or otherwise provide some sense of justice to survivors,” lawyers wrote on behalf of New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez (D).
Torrez is asking a federal judge in the District of Columbia to declare the DOJ’s actions unlawful and grant his office access to full, unredacted copies of investigative files that the agency has purportedly refused to hand over, including a 2019 email from an anonymous sender that alleged two girls were buried in the hills near the ranch.
The email was sent to a New Mexico radio show host a few months after Epstein died by suicide while awaiting trial on sex trafficking crimes, according to previous reporting from Reuters.
New Mexico reopened its investigation into Zorro Ranch in February, and authorities later searched the property. In the months since, Officials said they have made numerous attempts to obtain information from the Justice Department that could help identify witnesses, corroborate evidence and determine the full scope of Epstein’s activities within the state.
“New Mexico has a duty to protect survivors and investigate crimes committed in our state so that perpetrators can be held accountable,” Torrez said in a statement, pointing to his office’s request for federal cooperation.
“Their delay is actively hurting our criminal investigation and delaying justice Epstein survivors deserve,” he added.
The Justice Department has cited the need to protect victim privacy, among other reasons, in its defense.
“The Epstein Files Transparency Act does not require, and the protective orders in place in the Southern District of New York do not permit, disclosure of victim-identifying information carte blanche, and New Mexico has provided no lawful basis to justify such sweeping disclosures,” a DOJ spokesperson told The Hill in a statement.
“Protecting victim privacy remains a top priority for the Department, and neither Touhy requests nor a desire to cooperate outweighs that privacy,” the spokesperson continued, noting that it would assist New Mexico’s investigation “consistent with the law and binding court orders.”
The New Mexico attorney general’s office has also accused Blanche and the DOJ of violating an agreement between the state and the Southern District of New York, which previously requested state investigators pause their original inquiry until the federal probe concluded.
“New Mexico had no reason in 2019 to believe federal law enforcement officials would breach their express assurances and deviate from historical practice just to block their state counterparts from successfully investigating child sexual abuse under state law,” the complaint stated.
A bipartisan special committee of state lawmakers announced its first round of subpoenas earlier this month as part of its own probe into alleged illegal activity at Zorro Ranch.
The ranch is now owned by former Texas state Sen. Don Huffines (R), who is serving as acting Texas comptroller while running for a full term. He purchased the property in 2023, with proceeds reportedly going to Epstein victims, and plans to turn it into a Christian retreat.
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