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New Mexico will reopen its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s Zorro ranch in the state following a public pressure campaign for a fuller accounting of the role the location it played in the late financier’s sex-trafficking conspiracy.
“Upon reviewing information recently released by the US Department of Justice, Attorney General Raúl Torrez has ordered that the criminal investigation into allegations of illegal activity at Jeffrey Epstein’s Zorro Ranch be reopened,” the New Mexico department of justice posted online on Thursday.
The department said that it had closed its prior investigation in 2019 at the request of New York federal prosecutors that handled the second investigation in Epstein’s Epstein’s sex-trafficking scheme that ultimately led to his arrest.
The department said “revelations outlined in the previously sealed FBI files warrant further examination” and that “special agents and prosecutors at the New Mexico Department of Justice will be seeking immediate access to the complete, unredacted federal case file”.
Earlier this week, the New Mexico state legislature approved the formation of an Epstein “truth commission” to examine what had taken place at the 7,560-acre ranch, which was never searched at the time. It is charged with filing a full report by the end of the year.
The Zorro ranch was one of several properties where the sex-trafficking conspiracy was conducted. Some accusers have alleged the ranch was the site of sex trafficking.
The New Mexico state department of justice said its renewed inquiry will “follow the facts wherever they lead, carefully evaluate jurisdictional considerations, and take appropriate investigative action, including the collection and preservation of any relevant evidence that remains available”.
New Mexico’s governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, welcomed both investigative moves that could provide more accountability for Epstein’s victims.
“This is a legislature that is not afraid to take on tricky issues, where we need a lot more [US justice department] work here, not less,” Lujan Grisham said.
