New Mexico attorney general says DOJ is withholding ‘critical’ information related to Epstein’s Zorro Ranch
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez accuses US Justice Department of blocking access to unedited files regarding late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epsteinargues that a lack of cooperation prevents the state from bringing justice to survivors.
“With each day that USDOJ withholds these records, the foundation on which the New Mexico investigation can be built is eroded,” Torrez wrote in a scathing June 30 letter to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche that was made public Thursday.
“Witnesses move and cannot be reached. Memories, already strained by years of trauma, are further erased. Physical and documentary evidence deteriorates, disappears or becomes difficult to verify over time,” Torrez said. he added.
Torrez’s letter marks the latest criticism of the U.S. Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein case since Congress forced the department to release files on the sex trafficker with a bipartisan bill late last year.
New Mexico is investigating allegations of illegal activity around the property Epstein owned near Santa Fe, known as the Zorro Ranch.
A Department of Justice spokesperson told CNN that the agency had “substantively responded to requests from the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office last month.”
“DOJ welcomes New Mexico’s additional investigation into Zorro Ranch and reiterates that it stands ready to provide the necessary assistance for New Mexico’s investigation,” the spokesperson said in a statement. he said. “If this investigation uncovers potential Federal crimes, the Department of Justice will work closely with our law enforcement partners to investigate and, when appropriate, prosecute.”
The New Mexico criminal investigation was reopened in February after the U.S. Department of Justice released millions of files related to Epstein; these included a 2019 email obtained by a local radio host claiming that “somewhere in the hills outside Zorro two foreign girls were buried on the orders of Jeffrey and Madam G.” This claim has not been confirmed, but it is also unclear to what extent he was investigated by law enforcement before the renewed interest in Epstein.
Some of Epstein’s survivors, including Chauntae Davies and the late Virginia Giuffre, said the ranch was one of the places where they were sexually assaulted.
Many lawmakers have criticized internal U.S. Justice Department authorities and heavy redactions in the Epstein files, which the Justice Department began releasing in December 2025. the guard examines proofreading process.
According to the Democratic Representative, some members of Congress were allowed to view the unredacted documents, but “had to go to the DOJ annex, sit at one of four DOJ-owned computers, use a cumbersome and complex software system provided by the DOJ, and search and read the documents while DOJ employees looked over our shoulders.” Jamie RaskinRanking member of the House Judiciary Committee.
Drone footage shows Zorro Ranch, formerly owned by Jeffrey Epstein, near Stanley, New Mexico, on March 8. -Rebecca Noble/Reuters/File
In last week’s letter, Torrez outlined six attempts by the New Mexico Department of Justice office to reach the federal agency, including a Feb. 13 document request and an effort to arrange an in-person meeting last month during Torrez’s visit to Washington, D.C.
“Despite USDOJ’s verbal assurance of cooperation, access to the requested records was not granted, no substantive response was provided, and more than 130 days have passed since the (New Mexico Department of Justice’s) initial request,” Torrez wrote. “NMDOJ views this period as an unreasonable delay by any rule of reason.”
New Mexico as part of criminal investigation Authorities searched Zorro Farm In March.
Separately, a state special legislative panel This commission, called the “New Mexico Survivors’ Truth Commission,” is also investigating Zorro Ranch. Last month, the committee was subpoenaed multiple banks for information, several U.S. Attorney’s offices, as well as the offices of Torrez and New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.
CNN’s Hannah Rabinowitz, Michael Williams, MJ Lee, Nicky Robertson and Holmes Lybrand contributed to this report.
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