New Mexico legislators on Monday approved a measure to begin what they described as the first comprehensive state-level investigation into alleged sex trafficking and abuse at Zorro Ranch, the sprawling property owned by the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The bipartisan commission will gather testimony from survivors who say they were sexually abused at the ranch, which sits roughly 30 miles south of Santa Fe. Lawmakers have also called on local residents to come forward with information, reports Newsmax.
Epstein died in 2019 in a New York jail in what authorities ruled a suicide as he awaited trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
The four-member legislative panel will attempt to identify individuals who visited the 7,600-acre property and determine whether state officials were aware of, or participated in, alleged criminal activity at the ranch’s hacienda-style residence and guesthouses.
The Democratic-led inquiry adds to mounting political scrutiny surrounding Epstein’s crimes, an issue that has become increasingly prominent for President Donald Trump following the recent release of millions of Epstein-related documents by the Justice Department. Those files revealed connections between Epstein and two former Democratic governors of New Mexico, as well as a former state attorney general.
The legislation passed unanimously in the New Mexico House and could expose additional political figures in the Democratic-controlled state, along with scientists, investors, and other prominent visitors to the ranch.
The $2.5 million investigation carries subpoena authority and aims to identify weaknesses in state law that may have allowed Epstein to operate without oversight. The committee begins work Tuesday and plans to issue interim findings in July, with a final report expected by the end of the year.
“He was basically doing anything he wanted in this state without any accountability whatsoever,” said Democratic state Rep. Andrea Romero, a co-sponsor of the legislation. She added that testimony collected by the panel could later support criminal prosecutions.
Victim advocates praised the move, arguing that Zorro Ranch received far less attention than Epstein’s properties in New York and the Caribbean.
“Many of the survivors had experiences in New Mexico, and as we’ve learned, you know, there were local politicians and other people that were aware of what was happening in New Mexico,” said attorney Sigrid McCawley, whose firm has represented hundreds of Epstein victims. She said those survivors include the late Virginia Giuffre, who reported repeated abuse at the ranch.
Multiple civil lawsuits accuse Epstein of sexually assaulting underage girls at Zorro Ranch, though he was never criminally charged for those alleged offenses. Romero said there is no record that federal authorities ever searched what locals referred to as “the playboy ranch,” where Epstein allegedly abused a 16-year-old girl as early as 1996.
Former New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas initiated an investigation in 2019 but suspended it at the request of federal prosecutors to avoid a “parallel investigation,” according to his statement. Current Attorney General Raul Torrez has assigned a special agent to review allegations arising from the commission’s work, spokesperson Lauren Rodriguez said.
Democratic state Rep. Marianna Anaya, another co-sponsor of the bill, is also advancing separate legislation to extend the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse claims, potentially allowing civil lawsuits tied to Epstein’s alleged conduct.
Epstein purchased the ranch in 1993 from Bruce King, a three-term Democratic governor who died in 2009.
According to FBI records from 2007, ranch manager Brice Gordon said Epstein routinely flew in guests and “masseuses” and hired local massage therapists. Gordon said many were recruited through Ten Thousand Waves or personal referrals. A spokesperson for the spa denied any involvement, saying it neither provided nor referred massage therapists to the ranch.
In a 2016 unsealed deposition, Giuffre testified that Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell instructed her to give then-Gov. Bill Richardson a “massage” at the ranch—language Giuffre later wrote in her memoir referred to sexual encounters. Richardson’s representative said in 2019 that the allegation was “completely false.”
In the documentary Surviving Jeffrey Epstein, former Santa Fe massage therapist Rachel Benavidez accused Epstein of sexually abusing her while she worked at the property.