New Mexico has launched what lawmakers describe as the first full investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s activities at Zorro Ranch, where the late U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is accused of trafficking and sexually assaulting girls and women.
A unanimous House vote on Monday created a truth commission with subpoena power to examine events at the 7,600-acre ranch south of Santa Fe.
A four-member bipartisan committee will seek testimony from survivors of alleged sexual abuse at the ranch. Legislators are also urging local residents to testify to identify ranch guests and state officials who may have known what was going.
The legislation could pose risks to any additional politicians linked to Epstein in the Democratic-run state, as well as scientists, investors and other high-profile individuals who visited the ranch.
Authorities said that findings will be delivered in July and a final report by the end of the year.
State Representative Andrea Romero said Epstein operated “without any accountability whatsoever.” Testimony could support future prosecutions.
The move follows the release of millions of Epstein-related files, intensifying political pressure on President Donald Trump’s administration.
Epstein, who died in 2019, was never charged in New Mexico, though civil suits accuse him of allegedly abusing minors at the ranch as early as 1996.
Former attorney general Hector Balderas paused a 2019 probe at the request of federal prosecutors. Current attorney general Raul Torrez has assigned a special agent to follow new leads.
Advocates say New Mexico was overlooked. Attorney Sigrid McCawley said “many of the survivors had experiences in New Mexico,” including Virginia Giuffre.
The Justice Department referred questions to the FBI, which declined to comment.
Epstein bought the ranch in 1993 from former governor Bruce King. It was sold in 2023 to Texas businessman Don Huffines, who has said he will cooperate with investigators, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper.
Ranch manager Brice Gordon told the FBI in 2007 that Epstein flew in guests and “masseuses,” and hired local therapists from Santa Fe spa Ten Thousand Waves which denied providing referrals.
A 2016 unsealed deposition shows Giuffre alleging Ghislaine Maxwell instructed her to give former governor Bill Richardson a “massage.” His representative previously called the claim “completely false.”
Emails in the files show Epstein kept ties with academics and consultants. Joshua Ramo said he visited the ranch once in 2014 for lunch and met Epstein about 14 times in New York.
"I deferred to the due diligence of the institutions involved, assuming that his presence signalled he had been appropriately vetted," Ramo, in a statement, said of his ranch visit and other meetings with Epstein.
"I feel a deep sense of grief for the survivors of his crimes," Ramo added.
Epstein contributed to several Democratic politicians. A former New Mexico attorney general Gary King and son of Bruce King, used a charter flight partly paid by Epstein during a 2014 gubernatorial run. He did not comment.
Civil suits portray the ranch as a site of unchecked alleged abuse for decades. The $2.5 million inquiry aims to close gaps in state law and determine how Epstein was able to operate in New Mexico for so long.
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