- Reaction score
- 467
- Location
- Shangri La
Santa Fe, NM — Today, the New Mexico Department of Justice filed a federal suit against Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and the U.S. Department of Justice (USDOJ), asking the court for access to unredacted Epstein-related investigative files that the USDOJ has been withholding. These files and documents are critical to New Mexico’s ongoing criminal investigation into alleged crimes at Jeffrey Epstein’s Zorro Ranch in Santa Fe County.
The state’s lawsuit argues that USDOJ’s refusal to provide unredacted materials violates the Administrative Procedure Act and unlawfully interferes with New Mexico’s sovereign authority to investigate and prosecute crimes committed within its borders. The complaint seeks an order requiring USDOJ to produce the requested materials or, at minimum, to promptly and in good faith evaluate the request under its own regulations.
“New Mexico has a duty to protect survivors and investigate crimes committed in our state so that perpetrators can be held accountable,” said Attorney General Raúl Torrez. “We asked the Department of Justice to cooperate by providing access to records that may be critical to identifying victims, witnesses, and additional criminal conduct at Zorro Ranch. Their delay is actively hurting our criminal investigation and delaying justice Epstein survivors deserve.”
New Mexico’s complaint alleges that the federal government has refused, without adequate legal justification, to share records that could help investigators identify witnesses, corroborate evidence, and determine the full scope of crimes that occurred in New Mexico. The filing says the USDOJ’s refusal has obstructed the state’s ability to fully investigate crimes within its own jurisdiction.
The complaint says Epstein used Zorro Ranch regularly for more than 25 years and that publicly released Epstein files contain thousands of references to New Mexico and the ranch. It also alleges that federal records include evidence of grooming, trafficking, sexual abuse, and other misconduct tied to the property and to individuals associated with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
New Mexico further alleges that federal prosecutors previously told the state to stand down from its investigation. In 2019, federal prosecutors asked New Mexico to pause its investigation and said they would share relevant information when their work concluded. That information has not been provided. Since reopening the investigation, New Mexico has conducted the first law enforcement search of Zorro Ranch and continues to follow the facts and pursue the truth on behalf of survivors.
New Mexico’s filing asks the court to:
- Declare USDOJ’s refusal to share the requested files unlawful.
- Order USDOJ to provide access to unredacted Epstein files and related unreleased materials to aid in its ongoing criminal investigation.
- In the alternative, require USDOJ to promptly reconsider the request under its Touhy regulations.
- Recognize that DOJ’s actions interfere with New Mexico’s core state police powers and are inconsistent with longstanding federalism principles.
