The Special legislative committee investigating sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s activity in New Mexico released its first report last week. The investigation is far from over, but committee members are already outlining changes to laws they want to see in the upcoming legislative session..
Chair of the commission, State Rep. Andrea Romero (D-Santa Fe) said several areas of state law, policy and procedure need to be changed or updated regardless of what the investigation reveals in the future.
“We need to close the registration loophole for convicted sex offenders, and to end the statute of limitations on human trafficking in New Mexico,” she said.
The loophole Romero is referencing allowed Epstein to avoid registering as a sex offender in New Mexico, partially because the age of consent in Florida and New Mexico differed at the time of Epstein's arrest in 2008, according to the commission's report.
Commission member State Rep. Marianna Anaya (D-Albuquerque) told KUNM the commission quickly recognized how important it is to get rid of the statute of limitations on trafficking. She said a lot of survivors don’t even report what happened to them until much later in life because of trauma, fear, or even dependency on their abusers.
“Even now, you can see a lot of the Jane Does still haven't told their story publicly. So there's still a lot of stress and anxiety and fear when it comes to these things,” Anaya said. “So for us, it's about making sure that we are serving justice on a survivor's timeline, and that's a huge step if we're talking about what justice looks like for survivors.”
But for other priorities, Anaya said the commission needs to continue investigating before making specific recommendations.
For example, one of the obstacles members have encountered is a lack of detailed records from state departments. However, Anaya said the commission isn’t ready to offer any solutions to that problem going forward.
“That is something we, as commissioners, are still untangling,” she said. “What do we currently have on the books? What do we need to put on the books? If there are laws about retention, what are the teeth? What are the enforcement mechanisms? And I think it might come down to the nitty gritty in that language.”
Similarly, Epstein leased part of his land at Zorro Ranch from the state, and the commission suggested reviewing land lease laws and regulations surrounding who gets access to state land, for what purpose, and how it's regulated and monitored. But Anaya said that will require more investigation before any concrete suggestions are made.
“That's still one that we are also untangling,” she said, “but I think the biggest question there is, could we provide more oversight, and if so, what does that look like?”
And she said that’s all work the commission plans to do moving forward as the investigation really gets under way. She said the commission had to initially focus on more administrative tasks and procuring documents.
“This next phase of our investigation is, in my opinion, some of the bread and butter of what we've been trying to do,” she said.
That means more interviews and depositions, and potentially even more subpoenas. The commission also plans to do an in-person inspection of the ranch with the new owner’s cooperation.
The commission plans to issue another report in December, and will hold meetings to update the public in the meantime. But Anaya said they will most likely have to ask for an extension to continue after that.
“The reality of the situation is we have always known that there are ongoing investigations for years and years and years,” she said, “and there is no humanly possible way for us to be able to conduct everything we need to in the scope of a year.”
Commission Chair Romero said as the investigation continues, the commission is committed to keeping survivors' best interests at heart, and providing them justice.
“Going forward, this commission endeavors to uncover the truth, [that] so many for too long were blind to,” she said.
Epstein survivor Rachel Benavidez, who spoke at the commission’s presentation of their report, said bringing the truth to light, respecting and believing in survivors, is the best path toward that justice, and expressed gratitude to the commission's work so far.
“I thank the Survivors Truth Commission for ensuring that this survivor platform is held with the utmost integrity and respect, and intended purposes to honor Epstein victims,” Benavidez said.
The commission’s next public meeting is yet to be scheduled.
Support for this coverage comes from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
