New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, accusing it of obstructing his investigation into Jeffrey Epstein's Zorro Ranch. The suit, filed on Wednesday, alleges that the administration has been "stonewalling" the state's probe into potential crimes at the high-desert ranch, where victims claim they were trafficked.
Torrez stated in the filing that the refusal to release unredacted Epstein files is preventing his team from building a case into potential wrongdoing. He described the Justice Department's resistance as unusual, noting that his team has "faced sustained resistance to the type of information-sharing that has been routine from U.S.D.O.J. under prior administrations of both political parties." The New Mexico AG's office believes the redactions obscure the identities of Zorro Ranch staffers and individuals connected to Epstein who may have information about crimes related to the property.
The New Mexico Attorney General's Office reopened its investigation into Zorro Ranch in February, prompted by indications in Epstein files that the property had not been fully investigated in prior years. Emails released earlier this year showed that former New Mexico AG Hector Balderas had previously expressed concerns that federal investigators had overlooked potential crimes at the ranch.
This development led New Mexico lawmakers to establish a bipartisan "truth commission" dedicated to investigating alleged wrongdoing at the ranch. Zorro Ranch is extensively documented in the Department of Justice's Epstein files, appearing over 10,000 times. The investigation gained renewed momentum earlier this year when documents revealed an anonymous tip to the FBI alleging that people had been raped, killed, and buried on the estate. One unverified claim from the tip suggests two foreign girls died during "rough, fetish sex" and were subsequently buried on the property, an act allegedly ordered by Epstein.
The Department of Justice, however, contends that the redactions are necessary to protect victims' identities and represent standard practice in such cases. DOJ Spokeswoman Kiersten Pels stated that a court order prohibits the "disclosure of victim-identifying information carte blanche, and New Mexico has provided no lawful basis to justify such sweeping disclosures." Pels added that the DOJ "remains available to assist New Mexico’s investigation consistent with the law and binding court orders."
A White House Spokeswoman, Lauren Bis, commented that "President Trump has said, he’s been totally exonerated on anything relating to Epstein."
In 2019, federal investigators assumed control of a state criminal investigation into Epstein's ranch, arguing they could build a stronger case. New Mexico officials, however, maintain that federal authorities did not conduct as thorough an investigation in the state as they did in other locations, such as Manhattan or the U.S. Virgin Islands.