Epstein Ranch: New Mexico Investigation Reopens Abuse Claims & Reveals High-Profile Visitors
- New Mexico’s Attorney General has reopened a criminal investigation into allegations of illegal activity at Jeffrey Epstein’s former Zorro Ranch, more than six years after the financier’s arrest...
- The sprawling 3,070-acre ranch, located 36 miles southeast of Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Highway 41, was previously investigated by the state in 2019, but that inquiry was...
- The ranch, locally known as the “Playboy Ranch,” gained notoriety as a location where multiple girls alleged they were sexually assaulted.
New Mexico’s Attorney General has reopened a criminal investigation into allegations of illegal activity at Jeffrey Epstein’s former Zorro Ranch, more than six years after the financier’s arrest on federal sex trafficking charges. The decision, announced on , follows a review of information recently released by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The sprawling 3,070-acre ranch, located 36 miles southeast of Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Highway 41, was previously investigated by the state in 2019, but that inquiry was closed at the request of federal prosecutors in New York. According to a statement from Lauren Rodriguez, Chief of Staff for the New Mexico Department of Justice, “revelations outlined in the previously sealed FBI files warrant further examination.”
The ranch, locally known as the “Playboy Ranch,” gained notoriety as a location where multiple girls alleged they were sexually assaulted. Annie Farmer, who testified during Ghislaine Maxwell’s trial, claimed she was sexually abused at the ranch in the mid-1990s, at the age of 16, by both Epstein and Maxwell. The renewed investigation will focus on these and other allegations of wrongdoing that occurred on the property.
Special agents and prosecutors within the New Mexico Department of Justice will seek immediate access to the complete, unredacted federal case file. They also intend to collaborate with other law enforcement partners and a newly established state truth commission tasked with investigating activities at the ranch. The Attorney General’s office stated it 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.”
Epstein purchased the ranch in 1993. It was placed under seal in 2019 following his arrest. The property, valued at $15,281,458 according to county records, was put up for sale for $27.5 million and sold four years later to Don Huffines, a former Texas state senator and supporter of Donald Trump, who has since renamed it “Rancho de San Rafael.” The ranch is owned by Cypress, Inc., a company registered in the Virgin Islands and not publicly traded.
The recently released documents from the Epstein case suggest the ranch hosted a number of prominent figures. French pianist Frédéric Chaslin, American filmmaker Woody Allen, and Prince Andrew, a member of the British Royal Family, are among those reportedly seen at the property. The documents reportedly detail activities at the ranch including firearms practice, drone operations, and alleged genetic medical experiments, though no concrete evidence of these claims has yet emerged.
While Epstein never faced charges in New Mexico, state prosecutors confirmed in 2019 they had interviewed potential victims who had visited the ranch. Details regarding the number of accusers interviewed and the specifics of their allegations were not publicly disclosed at the time. The New Mexico Department of Justice has not yet commented on the specific details within the recently released filings that prompted the reopening of the investigation.
The Zorro Ranch is unique among Epstein’s properties in that it was the only one to be searched during the initial investigation. Other properties linked to Epstein, including his Caribbean island and Manhattan mansion, are also at the center of a federal investigation into sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. The reopening of the New Mexico investigation signals a continued effort to unravel the full extent of Epstein’s alleged criminal network and the activities that took place at his various properties.
The timing of this renewed investigation coincides with the release of over 3.5 million pages of documents related to the Epstein case on . These documents have prompted scrutiny and calls for further investigation into the individuals associated with Epstein and the alleged crimes committed at his properties.