A bipartisan New Mexico panel has released a 119-page report exposing Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes in the state. Lawmakers presented the findings on Aug. 5 and heard new testimony from a survivor.
Commission Chair and State Rep. Andrea Romero (D-Santa Fe) opened the meeting by arguing that this interim report was significant, even though it doesn’t include final findings and mostly relied on redacted records accessed via the Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA).
“ [This report] is the first time any government has documented what is known about Epstein and what he did in our state, and is the first official account that exists outside of a courtroom,” Rep Romero remarked. “ Somebody finally sat down, read through it, verified every fact against original evidence, and assembled an official story.”
Lawmakers created the Survivors’ Truth Commission earlier this year. They appointed four state representatives — Romero, Marianna Anaya (D-Albuquerque), Andrea Reeb (R-Clovis), and William Hall (R-Aztec) — to document Epstein’s crimes at Zorro Ranch and uncover how state systems failed to hold him accountable.
Earlier in the year, the commission issued 20 subpoenas to federal and state law enforcement, government offices, banks, and the Santa Fe Institute. Lawmakers reviewed over 100,000 documents alongside the millions of records released under the EFTA.
Unanswered subpoenas and federal stonewalling
While half of the sources fully complied with the document requests, eight have not. The Federal Aviation Administration, J.P. Morgan, and every US Attorney’s Office they subpoenaed have yet to respond to the requests. The US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York refused to comply.
Federal agencies are blocking New Mexico’s criminal investigation into Zorro Ranch. State Attorney General Raúl Torrez sued the US Department of Justice the same day the report was released, after agencies refused to hand over unredacted records needed to identify victims, witnesses, and co-conspirators.
Epstein was convicted of arranging or paying to sexually abuse an underage girl in Florida in 2008. The report concludes that five specific public offices dropped the ball on Epstein: the US Attorney’s Office in New Mexico, the state Attorney General, the Santa Fe District Attorney, the State Land Office, and local police.
Documents show Epstein hosted all types of powerful people at Zorro Ranch from presidents and governors to celebrities and scientists. His high profile connections in New Mexico began with his purchase of Zorro Ranch in 1993 from then-Gov. Bruce King, and his brothers Don and Sam.
Records acquired by the commission show that Epstein purchased the 7,000 acre compound through a trust, requiring him to get state and federal land leases approved. Records show Epstein leased an air strip for private planes and that Ghislaine Maxwell appraised the property as a “disinterested party.”
The report illustrates how the construction of Zorro Ranch included a three story mansion, eight guest houses, a helipad, and a private airship hangar. Dozens of employees operated the property, carried company phones, and had their messages monitored.
One point of particular interest for the commission was the claim that Epstein illegally possessed firearms at Zorro Ranch. The report confirms New Mexico police never investigated Epstein for having guns despite his sex offender status, suggesting preferential treatment.
Survivor testimony reveals dozens of potential victims
The commission also details five survivors’ testimonies in the report, each one revealing more insight into Epstein’s depravity. Based on their information, the commission was able to estimate at least 30 more potential victims of Epstein’s abuse and trafficking operations in New Mexico.
During the meeting, lawmakers heard testimony from Rachel Benavidez, who described herself as an Epstein survivor who was “ misled, deceived, sexually assaulted, and abused at Zorro Ranch by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.”
“ He exploited us all, and too many people within his network scoffed at the idea that he could possibly be a sexual predator and a criminal,” she shared with the commission. “ The word that comes to mind is despicable.”
The report finds police stood by while Epstein and his wealthy affiliates abused victims in plain sight.
The meeting concluded with Romero announcing four more subpoenas that the commission approved: the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, Department of Public Safety, and the state tax department, as well as the Ten Thousand Waves Spa in Santa Fe.
The commission is continuing its investigation and will provide more detailed legislative recommendations by the end of the year.
If you have a tip related to crimes committed at Zorro Ranch, you can provide anonymous testimony at www.nmtruthcommission.com
