New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez indicated that the US Department of Justice failed to meet a deadline set for sharing documents related to his office’s renewed investigation into activities at Zorro Ranch, a property formerly owned by Jeffrey Epstein. Torrez had requested unredacted files from federal prosecutors in February after reopening a dormant state criminal inquiry into the remote 10,000-acre property.
The deadline of 31 July passed without a response from the Justice Department. According to Torrez, despite assurances of cooperation from Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and former US Attorney Jay Clayton, his office received only 31 pages of documents, consisting largely of news clippings and heavily redacted materials of limited investigative value. In a July letter to Blanche, Torrez stated he would “pursue all available legal remedies” if the deadline elapsed unmet, and subsequently indicated in media appearances that he was not ruling out litigation.
The dispute centers on Zorro Ranch, which Epstein purchased in 1993. The Guardian reported in February that recently released Epstein files contained thousands of references to the property and photographs of individuals present there, along with testimony from survivors describing abuse. However, unlike other locations central to Epstein’s activities, no confirmed federal search of the ranch is known to have occurred.
The US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, which led the original Epstein investigation, indicated it would not cooperate with the state inquiry, according to Torrez. The US Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico stated it had responded substantively on 30 June and directed Torrez to the SDNY, noting it had not led the original investigation and retained no investigative materials.
Torrez has characterized the situation as reflecting an administration focus on managing communications about the Epstein case rather than pursuing accountability. He noted that his state investigation was previously suspended at the explicit request of the SDNY and stated that access to files could help identify co-conspirators, witnesses, and new investigative leads.
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