New Mexico lawmakers propose a Jeffrey Epstein probe of activity at
secluded desert ranch
[November 07, 2025]
By MORGAN LEE
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A secluded desert ranch where financier and sex
offender Jeffrey Epstein once entertained guests is coming under new
scrutiny in New Mexico, where two state legislators are proposing an
investigative “truth commission” to guard against sex trafficking in the
future.
Democratic state Rep. Andrea Romero of Santa Fe said several survivors
of Epstein's abuse have signaled that sex trafficking activity extended
to Zorro Ranch, a sprawling property with a hilltop mansion and private
runway about 35 miles (56 kilometers) south of the state's capital city.
Yet not enough is known about what went on there for the state to take
precautions against abuse in the future, she said.
“This commission will specifically seek the truth about what officials
knew, how crimes were unreported or reported, and how the state can
ensure that this essentially never happens again,” Romero told a panel
of legislators on Thursday. “There's no complete record of what
occurred."
The investigation, with a proposed $2.5 million budget, would thrust New
Mexico into an international array of probes into Epstein’s associations
that is roiling the U.S. Congress and prompted King Charles III on
Thursday to formally strip brother Andrew Mountbatten Windsor of the
title of prince.
Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial in 2019
on charges that he sexually abused and trafficked dozens of underage
girls.
The case was brought more than a decade after he secretly cut a deal
with federal prosecutors in Florida to dispose of nearly identical
allegations. Epstein was accused of paying underage girls hundreds of
dollars in cash for massages and then molesting them.
Epstein purchased the Zorro Ranch in New Mexico in 1993 from former
Democratic Gov. Bruce King and built a 26,700-square-foot
(2,480-square-meter) mansion. The property was sold by Epstein's estate
in 2023, with proceeds going to creditors.
While Epstein never faced charges in New Mexico, the state attorney
general’s office in 2019 confirmed that it was investigating and had
interviewed possible victims who visited the ranch.
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Jeffrey Epstein's Zorro Ranch is seen, July 8, 2019, in Stanley,
N.M. (KRQE via AP, File)
In 2023, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez ordered an
investigation into financial businesses utilized by Epstein and
their legal obligations, said agency spokesperson Lauren Rodriguez.
That resulted in agreements with two banks that dedicates $17
million to the prevention of human trafficking, she said.
On Thursday, Democratic and Republican legislators expressed guarded
support for a new probe, amid concern that New Mexico laws allowed
Epstein to avoid registering locally as a sex offender long after he
was required to register in Florida.
In 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida to state charges of
soliciting a minor for prostitution under an agreement that required
him to spend 13 months in jail and register as a sex offender — an
agreement widely criticized for secretly ending a federal sex abuse
investigation involving at least 40 teenage girls.
“I do feel like this is a unique opportunity to help victims,” said
Republican Rep. Andrea Reeb, a former district attorney from Clovis.
”I do believe New Mexicans do have a right to know what happened at
this ranch. And I didn’t get the impression it was gonna be a big
political thing.”
But another Republican legislator demanded, “Why now?” — noting
tensions related to President Donald Trump and his vow to release
documents related to the late sex trafficker.
“Why not a long time ago?” said Rep. Stafani Lord of Sandia Park.
“Every time I ride my motorcycle past there (Zorro Ranch), I get
sick to my stomach.”
Results are at least two years away. To move forward with a truth
commission, approval first is needed from the state House when the
Legislature convenes in January to create a bipartisan oversight
committee of four legislators, said Democratic state Rep. Marianna
Anaya, a cosponsor of the initiative.
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