New Mexico lawmakers propose a Jeffrey Epstein probe of activity at secluded desert ranch

Jeffrey Epstein's Zorro Ranch is seen, July 8, 2019, in Stanley, N.M. (KRQE via AP, File)

Warning: The following story may contain graphic details.

SANTA FE, N.M. — A secluded desert ranch where financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein once entertained guests is coming under new scrutiny in New Mexico, where two state legislators are proposing an investigative “truth commission” to guard against sex trafficking in the future.

Democratic state Rep. Andrea Romero of Santa Fe said several survivors of Epstein’s abuse have signaled that sex trafficking activity extended to Zorro Ranch, a sprawling property with a hilltop mansion and private runway about 35 miles (56 kilometres) south of the state’s capital city. Yet not enough is known about what went on there for the state to take precautions against abuse in the future, she said.

“This commission will specifically seek the truth about what officials knew, how crimes were unreported or reported, and how the state can ensure that this essentially never happens again,” Romero told a panel of legislators on Thursday. “There’s no complete record of what occurred.”

The investigation, with a proposed US$2.5 million budget, would thrust New Mexico into an international array of probes into Epstein’s associations that is roiling the U.S. Congress and prompted King Charles III on Thursday to formally strip brother Andrew Mountbatten Windsor of the title of prince.

Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial in 2019 on charges that he sexually abused and trafficked dozens of underage girls.

The case was brought more than a decade after he secretly cut a deal with federal prosecutors in Florida to dispose of nearly identical allegations. Epstein was accused of paying underage girls hundreds of dollars in cash for massages and then molesting them.

Epstein purchased the Zorro Ranch in New Mexico in 1993 from former Democratic Gov. Bruce King and built a 26,700-square-foot (2,480-square-metre) mansion. The property was sold by Epstein’s estate in 2023, with proceeds going to creditors.

While Epstein never faced charges in New Mexico, the state attorney general’s office in 2019 confirmed that it was investigating and had interviewed possible victims who visited the ranch.

In 2023, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez ordered an investigation into financial businesses utilized by Epstein and their legal obligations, said agency spokesperson Lauren Rodriguez. That resulted in agreements with two banks that dedicates $17 million to the prevention of human trafficking, she said.

On Thursday, Democratic and Republican legislators expressed guarded support for a new probe, amid concern that New Mexico laws allowed Epstein to avoid registering locally as a sex offender long after he was required to register in Florida.

In 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida to state charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution under an agreement that required him to spend 13 months in jail and register as a sex offender — an agreement widely criticized for secretly ending a federal sex abuse investigation involving at least 40 teenage girls.

“I do feel like this is a unique opportunity to help victims,” said Republican Rep. Andrea Reeb, a former district attorney from Clovis. ”I do believe New Mexicans do have a right to know what happened at this ranch. And I didn’t get the impression it was gonna be a big political thing.”

But another Republican legislator demanded, “Why now?” — noting tensions related to President Donald Trump and his vow to release documents related to the late sex trafficker.

“Why not a long time ago?” said Rep. Stafani Lord of Sandia Park. “Every time I ride my motorcycle past there (Zorro Ranch), I get sick to my stomach.”

Results are at least two years away. To move forward with a truth commission, approval first is needed from the state House when the Legislature convenes in January to create a bipartisan oversight committee of four legislators, said Democratic state Rep. Marianna Anaya, a cosponsor of the initiative.

Morgan Lee, The Associated Press