New Mexico has filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, accusing them of "stonewalling" the state's criminal investigation into Jeffrey Epstein's activities at a remote ranch. The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, comes after the DOJ missed a 31 July deadline to share information about alleged historical abuse of girls and young women at Epstein's Zorro Ranch, located about 30 miles south of Santa Fe.
Background of the Investigation
Attorney General Raúl Torrez reopened the investigation in February after the 10,000-acre property was mentioned thousands of times in recent releases of the so-called Epstein files. These files were made public under a transparency act signed by Donald Trump in November, which compelled the government to release what it knew about Epstein's activities and crimes. However, Democrats and critics have accused Blanche of covering up many of the files.
Torrez had previously warned that he would pursue legal action if the DOJ did not comply with the deadline. In a 14 July letter to Blanche, he stated he would "pursue all available legal remedies without further notice" if the deadline passed. The lawsuit alleges that Blanche and the DOJ have "stonewalled" the state investigation, which aims to establish what took place at Zorro Ranch, a property that, unlike Epstein's other locations in Palm Beach, New York, and his private Caribbean island, saw no confirmed federal search.
Details of the Complaint
The complaint requests a declaration that Blanche and the DOJ acted illegally in refusing to hand over evidence about events at Zorro. It asks the court to direct the department to comply with the Epstein transparency law and the so-called Touhy regulations, which govern how federal agencies handle requests for official documents during litigation. The lawsuit also seeks costs and "such other and further relief as the Court deems just and proper."
Torrez said he had made "repeated, documented, good-faith efforts to obtain the unredacted investigative records in the DOJ's custody." The US attorney's office for the district of New Mexico claimed it had "substantively responded" to Torrez's request on 30 June by emailing 31 documents. However, Torrez dismissed these as mostly old news clippings and heavily redacted pages of little use to state investigators.
Historical Context and Survivor Testimony
Epstein bought the ranch in 1993 from the estate of former Democratic New Mexico Governor Bruce King. Numerous photographs of men and young girls taken at the ranch in subsequent years featured in the latest Epstein files release. Additionally, a succession of survivors had previously given testimony about sexual and physical abuse they endured at the ranch by Epstein and others.
Epstein died in jail in New York in August 2019 while awaiting trial on child sex-trafficking charges. The New Mexico investigation was initially opened by Hector Balderas, Torrez's predecessor, in February 2019, but was later mothballed at the request of federal prosecutors at the southern district of New York, who led a previous Epstein investigation. Those same prosecutors told Torrez last month that they "will not cooperate" in the New Mexico investigation, according to a social media post by Torrez on 14 July.
Response and Next Steps
The Guardian has contacted the DOJ for comment on the filing. Torrez emphasized that full transparency is needed to advance the criminal investigation. The lawsuit marks a significant escalation in the state's efforts to uncover the truth about Epstein's activities at Zorro Ranch, which has remained a focal point of ongoing scrutiny.
