New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez announced Thursday the New Mexico Department of Justice is reopening an investigation into allegations of criminal activity at Jeffrey Epstein’s former ranch outside of Santa Fe. Special agents and prosecutors will seek immediate access to the full unredacted federal files on Epstein.
Although the U.S. Department of Justice originally closed the state’s investigation into Epstein’s former Zorro Ranch in 2019, a New Mexico Department of Justice official says revelations in the latest public release of the files “warrant further examination.”
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham was asked about the announcement from the NMDOJ at a press conference after the legislative session ended. She said she’s proud of the state stepping up.
“If the FBI and the DOJ won't do it, we'll do it," she said, "and we will be transparent.”
The Zorro Ranch hosted multiple alleged instances of trafficking and rape, including Virgina Guiffre’s claims involving former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.
“We aren’t shy about accountability in a multitude of ways,” Lujan Grisham said. “We’ve had some sort-of-beloved personalities spend time behind bars because they made some serious mistakes. We don’t care who you are here.”
The NMDOJ plans to work in concert with the state legislature’s Epstein Truth Commission, which was established just two days before the AG’s announcement.
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