New Mexico Reopens Epstein Zorro Ranch Probe Amid Evidence Delay Concerns

New Mexico Reopens Epstein Zorro Ranch Probe Amid Evidence Delay Concerns

Background

On 6 July 2019, New York federal prosecutors arrested Jeffrey Epstein on sex trafficking charges. Prosecutors stated the financier "exploited and abused dozens of underage girls" in Manhattan, Palm Beach, and "among other locations."

One of those locations was Epstein's sprawling New Mexico property, known as Zorro Ranch. Epstein died in jail on 10 August 2019 while awaiting trial. Criminal and civil proceedings subsequently revealed that numerous alleged abuses unfolded at the ranch.

Federal Authorities Apparently Never Searched the Property

An 8 February Guardian investigation revealed that federal authorities apparently never searched Zorro Ranch. A December 2019 email disclosed that a federal prosecutor told an attorney for one of Epstein's estate co-executors that they had "not searched the New Mexico property."

The U.S. Department of Justice recently disclosed approximately 3 million investigative documents under Congress's Epstein Files Transparency Act. The disclosure renewed attention on Zorro Ranch.

New Mexico Reopens 2019 Investigation

The New Mexico attorney general announced the state would reopen its 2019 investigation, which had been put on hold at federal prosecutors' request. State legislators also established a "truth commission" to examine past activity at Epstein's ranch.

In an op-ed published Friday, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez wrote: "We will work in close coordination with federal and local law enforcement partners, as well as with the Epstein Truth Commission recently established by the New Mexico Legislature, which has its own independent mandate to investigate these matters on behalf of the public."

Torrez also stated there are "real obstacles" ahead but that "we will follow the evidence wherever it leads and leave no credible question unexplored."

Attorneys Cite Challenges From Seven-Year Delay

John Day, a New Mexico defense attorney and former prosecutor, said a search warrant at this stage would face significant hurdles.

"A search warrant would have to be based on information that's not stale. Somebody couldn't come in and say: 'Hey, seven years ago, something happened, and I just got around to telling you,'" Day said. "Now, it would have to be: 'Well, we just uncovered something about a crime that occurred seven years ago that we didn't know about until now.'"

Day said that if authorities presented a judge with an adequate reason why information just surfaced, "then it's very likely that they could get a search warrant if they can articulate facts about a crime, even if it's an old crime, but it can't be stale information."

Even if a search occurred, Day said, the delay likely means "the value of anything that they can find would be minimal." He added: "You don't know what has happened between the time Epstein was last there and the time the new people bought it, so that's a problem."

Kate Mangels, a partner with Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir, agreed that searching Zorro Ranch now would likely be a non-starter. "Certainly, the obvious answer is that it's better to search closer in time," Mangels said. "Particularly given that the property has changed hands, it's unlikely that they would find any forensic evidence."

Potential Value of a Search

Mangels noted that a search could still bolster victims' accounts.

"If the layout of the house hasn't changed, and they're saying: 'I have a recollection of someone coming through the bathroom door on the left side of the room,' and the search demonstrates that that's where it is, it gives more credence to that testimony of that victim," Mangels said.

She added that the utility of any findings may be limited. "It may be hard to use those things other than maybe a structural description of the house," Mangels said. "Those details are not evidence of a crime, but when you're dealing with a victim's testimony and there isn't other evidence, any corroboration can be helpful to prove that."

Alternative Investigative Avenues

Day said authorities would likely start with "the human side" — finding ranch employees, contractors, and "anybody local" who might have had contact with Zorro Ranch. He said this could include reviewing local news reports about parties held at the ranch to yield additional names, and examining entries in Epstein's address book related to New Mexico, including women listed under "massage."

Current Property Owner

The current owner of Zorro Ranch, Texas comptroller candidate Don Huffines, said he would cooperate with authorities, according to the New York Times. The Guardian reported it did not receive a response to an email and call to contact information listed on Huffines' campaign page.

FBI Report and Burial Allegation

Local radio host Eddy Aragon received an email in 2019 from an unknown person alleging that two young women had been buried at the ranch. The sender asked for "1 bitcoin" in exchange for the information.

Aragon told the Guardian in an interview on 4 February that he had been discussing the ranch on his radio show at the time. He said he forwarded the email to the FBI.

"I took it very seriously," Aragon said. "I forwarded it to the FBI."

The recently disclosed documents include an FBI report dated October 2021 referencing the email Aragon received. The report stated that Aragon contacted federal authorities on 25 November 2019 "to report an email he received offering 7 videos of sexual abuse and the location of two foreign girls buried on Zorro Ranch."

Former Attorney General Describes Federal Coordination Breakdown

Hector Balderas, New Mexico's attorney general at the time of Epstein's arrest, provided a statement.

"In spring 2019, our office investigated activity in New Mexico that was still viable for prosecution, including contact with multiple victims," Balderas said.

"During that time, the US attorney's office in New York asked us to pause any further state investigation or prosecution related to Epstein, informing us that they were already conducting an active multijurisdictional prosecution," Balderas said. "We shared all our reports and interviews to ensure they had all investigative leads and respected their request to refrain from further parallel investigation. We kept the matter open, investigated Epstein's land leases, and continued offering our legal resources to the DoJ for further prosecution."

"They did not share information or evidence with us, as the relationship was a one-way street," Balderas also said.

Balderas stated that his office had asked federal authorities "to use any available asset forfeiture tools to seize the ranch" in 2020.

Recent Investigative Steps

A spokesperson for New Mexico State Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard told the Guardian that an investigator from New Mexico's department of justice interviewed Garcia Richard and some land office leadership. The interviews concerned how agricultural leases work, such as the leases Epstein's ranch held for more than 25 years before Garcia Richard cancelled them in 2019.

The spokesperson added that New Mexico's department of justice sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice requesting another version of the email that suggested two girls may have been buried at Zorro Ranch. New Mexico's department of justice requested access to the portion of state land that is not landlocked. Garcia Richard's office granted that access.

The spokesperson said Garcia Richard is "encouraged to see the New Mexico DoJ taking these proactive steps and remains ready to help however possible."

A spokesperson for the New Mexico attorney general's office stated: "We expect to have additional information to share about our investigation as it continues to progress." A representative for the truth commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Source

Reported by Victoria Bekiempis and Anna Betts for the Guardian. Read original article.