New Mexico accuses US Justice Department of impeding Epstein investigation
The attorney general of New Mexico has released a letter he sent to the United States Department of Justice (USDOJ), blasting the federal government for
The attorney general of New Mexico has released a letter he sent to the United States Department of Justice (USDOJ), blasting the federal government for impeding the state’s investigation into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The letter, dated June 30, was published online on Thursday, as part of escalating tensions between state Attorney General Raul Torrez and the administration of President Donald Trump. In the document, Torrez outlines a series of requests he says went unanswered by the Justice Department, dating back to February. “Despite verbal assurances of cooperation from the USDOJ, access to the requested records has not been granted, no substantive response has been provided, and more than 130 days have now elapsed,” Torrez, a Democrat, wrote. “The [New Mexico Department of Justice] views this length of time as an unreasonable delay under any rule of reason.” The southwestern state reopened its investigation into Epstein in February, after the federal government released millions of files related to the convicted sex offender. Some of the records concerned Epstein’s activities on New Mexico’s Zorro Ranch, a property he owned in central New Mexico from 1993 onwards. A wealthy financier with powerful connections, Epstein built a sprawling complex on the ranch where he hosted guests. But allegations of sex trafficking on the property have never been fully investigated.
Reopening the case New Mexico had attempted to launch an investigation into Epstein’s activities on the site in 2019, but then-state Attorney General Hector Balderas told US media his agency was asked to suspend its work to allow federal prosecutors to pursue their case. In Thursday’s letter, Torrez said he plans to finish the investigation his predecessor started, but that the probe has faced “real and escalating harm” from the lack of federal cooperation. “The USDOJ now holds in its possession the very records that would allow the [New Mexico Department of Justice] to resume what federal intervention interrupted,” Torrez said. Epstein was convicted of soliciting a minor for prostitution in Florida in 2008, for which he only served 13 months in prison. At the time of his death in 2019, he was in jail awaiting federal trial for allegedly masterminding a se trafficking ring. His victims are thought to number in the hundreds. Questions about Epstein’s crimes resurfaced in 2025, under the second administration of Trump, who was among the politicians, entrepreneurs and artists that Epstein socialised with. Critics have accused the Trump administration of failing to be transparent in its handling of the Epstein files. Some have even speculated about whether Trump’s personal ties to the sex offender could have contributed to his reticence in releasing the government’s Epstein files.
The BriefWire