Daijiworld Media Network – Washington
Washington, Aug 6: New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez has filed a lawsuit against the US Justice Department, accusing it of obstructing the state's investigation into alleged sex crimes linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein at his New Mexico ranch.
The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Washington, D.C., alleges that the Justice Department and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche have refused to share key investigative materials, hampering the state's efforts to pursue potential criminal cases involving Epstein and his associates.
According to the complaint, federal authorities have repeatedly denied or ignored requests for information, despite New Mexico being one of the few jurisdictions that may still be able to investigate alleged offences connected to Epstein's Zorro Ranch near Santa Fe.
The legal action coincided with the release of a report by the New Mexico Attorney General's Office, which criticised law enforcement agencies for failing to adequately investigate alleged crimes committed in the state. The report stated that federal prosecutors had focused primarily on Epstein's activities in New York, Florida and the US Virgin Islands, leaving allegations connected to New Mexico largely unexamined.
Responding to the lawsuit, the Justice Department said it could not release certain records because federal court orders prohibit the disclosure of information that could identify victims. It maintained that protecting survivors' privacy remains a top priority while adding that it is prepared to assist New Mexico's investigation within the limits of the law and existing court orders.
Torrez rejected the department's explanation, arguing that his office had provided sufficient legal grounds for access to the records. He accused federal authorities of using victims' privacy as a reason to withhold information and claimed that his office had submitted 10 separate requests that were either ignored or denied.
The lawsuit also refers to a Justice Department prosecution memo describing an alleged sexual assault at Epstein's Zorro Ranch involving a woman other than Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former associate who is serving a 20-year prison sentence after her 2021 conviction on sex trafficking charges.
Asked whether another woman may have assisted Epstein in a manner similar to Maxwell, Torrez said investigators could not answer that question without access to the complete investigative files.
Epstein died by suicide in a New York federal jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
His Zorro Ranch property in Stanley, New Mexico, was purchased in 1993 and later developed into a sprawling estate with a private airstrip and helipad. The property was sold by Epstein's estate in 2023 and has since been renamed San Rafael Ranch by its new owners.
Several survivors of Epstein's abuse backed Torrez's legal action, arguing that withholding the files does little to protect victims and instead delays accountability for those allegedly involved in Epstein's crimes.