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New Mexico probe into Epstein's Zorro Ranch – DOJ lawsuit

Updated 2 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

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2026-08-05 20:52 UTC → 2026-08-05 22:18 UTC · added removed

New Mexico probe into Epstein's Zorro Ranch – DOJ standoff lawsuit

A documentary released in late April 2026 alleged new sexual‑violence crimes at Jeffrey Epstein’s former Zorro Ranch, prompting renewed scrutiny. On International Women’s Day in May, hundreds protested at the site and state officials announced the reopening of the 2019 criminal probe alongside a Justice Department search of the 10,000‑acre property. The bipartisan Truth Commission, funded by settlement money, began issuing subpoenas to federal and local agencies, banks and Epstein’s estate, and set up a confidential tip line and a physical survey of the ranch. In early June the commission issued more than a dozen subpoenas, while Attorney General Raúl Torrez pressed the DOJ for unredacted records listing survivors, witnesses and alleged co‑conspirators. Former AG Hector Balderas claimed the DOJ had halted the earlier state investigation and failed to honor a 2019 informal agreement to share evidence. The dispute intensified in July when Torrez warned that a 130‑day delay in receiving the files was undermining the state case; the DOJ replied that federal law, court orders and victim‑privacy protections barred release of the millions of unredacted pages, providing only heavily redacted excerpts deemed unusable. On 5 August, Torrez filed a federal lawsuit against the DOJ and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, alleging the department “stonewalled” the investigation and violated the Administrative Procedure Act. The complaint cites notes the DOJ has turned over roughly 31 pages of the massive file, which contains more than 13,000 references to Zorro Ranch, despite the state’s ten formal requests since reopening the probe in February 2024. The DOJ maintains that the Epstein Files Transparency Act and privacy rules protective court orders prohibit broader disclosure and that the DOJ says protect victim‑identifying information, arguing the state has offered no lawful basis for sweeping disclosure. release. The suit also references the 2019 information‑sharing agreement, loss of evidence after the ranch’s 2023 sale and jurisdictional challenges, seeking seeks a court district‑court order compelling the DOJ to compel release of provide the unredacted files records essential for identifying survivors, witnesses and possible co‑conspirators.

Versions

  1. 2026-08-05 22:18 UTC New Mexico probe into Epstein's Zorro Ranch – DOJ lawsuit
  2. 2026-08-05 20:52 UTC New Mexico probe into Epstein's Zorro Ranch – DOJ standoff
  3. 2026-08-05 18:12 UTC New Mexico probe into Epstein's Zorro Ranch – DOJ standoff

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