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New Mexico’s attorney general has taken the U.S. Department of Justice to federal court, alleging the agency is blocking state efforts to probe sex crimes tied to Jeffrey Epstein’s former ranch near Santa Fe. The dispute, filed in Washington, D.C., centers on whether federal restrictions are preventing state investigators from accessing records that could be crucial to survivors and possible prosecutions.
The complaint, lodged by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, accuses the Justice Department and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche of refusing repeated requests for evidence and other materials related to Epstein and alleged associates. State officials say the department’s resistance has stalled a criminal inquiry and harmed survivors seeking accountability.
Filed the same day the New Mexico House released a report from a newly formed Survivors’ Truth Commission, the lawsuit asks a judge to order the federal government to hand over documents and files state investigators have sought. The commission’s interim findings fault federal prosecutors for concentrating largely on Epstein’s activities in New York, Florida and the Virgin Islands while leaving alleged misconduct in New Mexico underexamined.
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Federal response and privacy limits
The Justice Department says its reluctance to share some records stems from court orders that bar disclosing victim-identifying information. In a statement, the department said it remains willing to cooperate “consistent with the law and binding court orders,” and emphasized that protecting survivors’ privacy is a priority.
New Mexico’s filing contends those protections have been applied too broadly, withholding materials the state argues are essential to its probe. Torrez’s office says it made roughly 10 formal requests for information that were either ignored or denied, and that routine information-sharing between state and federal investigators did not occur.
“We’ve been promised cooperation, but our experience has been obstruction,” Torrez said during a press briefing, according to the complaint. State lawyers argue that New Mexico may be among the few remaining jurisdictions able to pursue charges against people who allegedly aided Epstein.
Survivors’ accounts and prior proceedings
Epstein died in federal custody in New York in 2019 while facing sex-trafficking charges. His associate Ghislaine Maxwell was later convicted in 2021 and is serving a prison sentence. Testimony at Maxwell’s trial included allegations that both she and Epstein sexually abused women at his New Mexico property, long known as Zorro Ranch.
Survivors have given public testimony in Santa Fe as the commission and state lawmakers seek a clearer record of what happened at the ranch. At a legislative hearing, Rachel Benavidez described being recruited to work as a massage therapist at the property in the late 1990s and said she was sexually assaulted there. Another witness at Maxwell’s trial, Annie Farmer, testified about unwanted contact during a visit when she was a minor.
- What New Mexico seeks: access to federal records, investigative notes, and evidence the state says are necessary to advance its criminal inquiry.
- Federal stance: refusal to disclose certain files because of court-ordered restrictions meant to shield victim identities.
- Potential impact: the litigation could determine whether state prosecutors can obtain materials to pursue charges or provide survivors with greater clarity and accountability.
At the same hearing, advocates criticized the Justice Department’s recent document releases under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, saying many records were already public or so heavily redacted they provide little context. Victims and family members accused federal officials of selectively releasing information while concealing other materials that could help survivors and investigators.
Property sale and local fallout
The ranch, a remote estate about 30 miles south of Santa Fe, was sold in recent years to the family of Don Huffines, a Texas Republican who has said the property will be called San Rafael Ranch and used as a Christian retreat. The change in ownership has done little to quiet questions about past abuses or to resolve disputes over access to investigative files.
About 50 members of the public and media attended Wednesday’s legislative briefing as the commission outlined its preliminary report. The session underscored the broader stakes: beyond one property, the case raises questions about how federal and state authorities cooperate in complex, multi-jurisdictional abuse investigations and how transparency measures are implemented.
The lawsuit sets the stage for a federal court to weigh competing interests — survivor privacy protected by court order versus a state’s asserted need for information to pursue justice. The outcome could shape whether New Mexico gains access to documents that state officials say are key to holding alleged co-conspirators accountable and providing survivors with answers.
