New Mexico Reopens Criminal Probe into Jeffrey Epstein’s Zorro Ranch

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez has reopened a criminal investigation into allegations of illegal activity at the Zorro Ranch, formerly owned by the late Jeffrey Epstein. The move comes following the release of previously sealed FBI files and the establishment of a state “truth commission” to investigate Epstein’s activities within New Mexico .

Investigation Reopened After New Document Release

The New Mexico Department of Justice announced on Thursday that it is seeking unredacted copies of documents from the U.S. Department of Justice related to an allegation that Epstein ordered the bodies of two foreign-born girls to be buried near his Zorro Ranch . The allegation surfaced in a 2019 email and U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has also requested an unredacted copy of the email .

State prosecutors initially shelved the investigation in 2019 at the request of federal prosecutors in New York. Epstein, who died in a Manhattan jail in August 2019, faced no charges in New Mexico .

Zorro Ranch Ownership and Valuation

The nearly 10,000-acre Zorro Ranch was purchased in 2023 by San Rafael Ranch LLC, linked to the family of Donald Huffines, a Texas businessman and former state senator running for comptroller . The purchase price was $13.4 million, after the property was initially valued at $21.1 million for the 2023 tax year . Huffines’ family purchased the property at public auction, with proceeds benefiting Epstein’s victims .

Truth Commission and Broader Review

Attorney General Torrez stated that his office will conduct a “broad and comprehensive” review of the Zorro Ranch and will collaborate with the newly formed Epstein truth commission . The bipartisan, four-member commission is investigating allegations that the ranch may have been used to facilitate sexual abuse and sex trafficking . One state legislator on the panel, Andrea Romero, indicated that reports to the FBI prior to 2019 suggested possible burials and trafficking activity at the ranch .

Related Developments

The reopening of the New Mexico investigation occurred hours after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the Duke of York, was arrested in the United Kingdom on suspicion of misconduct in public office, reportedly connected to allegations involving Jeffrey Epstein .