NM legislators to propose truth-finding commission focused on Jeffrey Epstein's ranch

SANTA FE — More than six years after the death of Jeffrey Epstein, New Mexico lawmakers are proposing the creation of a truth-finding commission to investigate the full extent of what took place on a sprawling ranch he owned in the state.

Rep. Andrea Romero, D-Santa Fe, said Wednesday she and other legislators plan to file a bill during next year’s 30-day session that would create such an investigatory commission.

“We have never had any justice for survivors,” Romero said in an interview. “I think there’s a lot of information we haven’t been able to unpack.”

Romero said the commission would function similarly to the U.S. House committee formed to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Specifically, it would have subpoena power to compel witness testimony while also giving victims a way to share their stories, she said.

Epstein purchased the Zorro Ranch from the family of former Gov. Bruce King in 1993. The property is located near Stanley in Santa Fe County on more than 7,500 acres of land and featured a 33,339-square-foot mansion, pool, hot tub and other structures. It was sold for an undisclosed price in 2023.

Court documents and civil cases have accused Epstein of sexually assaulting teenage girls and women at the ranch, which was one of several properties owned by Epstein. The financier and convicted sex offender also reportedly had homes in New York, Florida, Paris and the Virgin Islands.

One plaintiff described the property in 2019 as being “like a park” where teenage girls were encouraged to ride horses and ATVs, and to use the pool and hot tub.

Epstein died in August 2019 in a New York City jail while he was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges in New York and Florida. Medical investigators determined at the time he died by suicide.

However, Epstein’s death has not quelled a frenzy of public interest and speculation about his social connections to public figures like President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton. In recent months, Epstein has been at the center of an ongoing fight in Congress over whether records related to his alleged sex trafficking should be released.

Trump previously vowed to release the Epstein files if elected, but recently called the issue an irrelevant “Democrat hoax.”

Even before his death, New Mexico state officials had investigated Epstein’s actions, though no criminal charges were ever filed in the state.

Former Attorney General Hector Balderas launched an investigation in 2019 that included interviews with survivors. In addition, state Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard in 2019 voided grazing leases obtained by the Zorro Ranch on nearby state trust land, claiming the leases had been used to buy privacy.

More recently, current Attorney General Raúl Torrez announced in 2023 a $4.95 million pledge by Deutsche Bank to fight human trafficking in New Mexico. That announcement came after Torrez’s investigation into the role different financial services companies played in failing to stop the alleged sexual abuse at Zorro Ranch.

A spokeswoman for the state Department of Justice said Wednesday the office collected $15 million in all from banks associated with Epstein to support efforts to combat human trafficking.

The criminal investigation into the activities that occurred at Epstein’s ranch in New Mexico was closed before Torrez took office in 2023, and did not uncover any additional information beyond what was included in a class-action lawsuit filed by victims, Department of Justice spokeswoman Chelsea Pitvorec said.

As for the proposed legislation, Romero said she has been in communication with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s office about including the bill on the agenda for the 30-day session, which starts in January.

She also said details about exactly how the proposed commission would function are still being ironed out.

But she said it’s important for New Mexico to acknowledge its role in the Epstein saga, adding victims deserve to know what steps — if any — could have been taken to prevent sexual abuse from occurring at Zorro Ranch.

Without such state-level action, she said conspiracy theories connected to Epstein will be difficult to dismiss.

“I think that’s an injustice for the people that suffered here,” said Romero.