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New Mexico lawmakers connected Monday (February 16, 2026) passed authorities to motorboat what they said was the archetypal afloat probe into what happened astatine Zorro Ranch, where the precocious U.S. enactment offender Jeffrey Epstein is accused of trafficking and sexually assaulting girls and women.
A bipartisan committee volition question grounds from survivors of alleged intersexual maltreatment astatine the ranch, located astir 30 miles southbound of Santa Fe, the State capital. Legislators are besides urging section residents to testify.
Epstein died successful what was ruled a suicide successful a New York jailhouse successful 2019 portion facing national enactment trafficking charges.
The alleged information commission, comprising 4 lawmakers, seeks to place ranch guests and authorities officials who whitethorn person known what was going connected astatine the 7,600-acre property, oregon taken portion successful alleged intersexual maltreatment successful its hacienda-style mansion and impermanent houses.
The Democratic-led probe adds to governmental unit to uncover Epstein’s crimes that has go a large situation for President Donald Trump, weeks aft the Justice Department released millions of Epstein-related files that shed caller airy connected activities astatine the ranch.
The files reveal ties betwixt Epstein and 2 erstwhile Democratic governors and an lawyer wide of New Mexico.
The legislation, which passed New Mexico’s House of Representatives by a unanimous vote, could airs risks to immoderate further politicians linked to Epstein successful the Democratic-run state, arsenic good arsenic scientists, investors and different high-profile individuals who visited the ranch.
The $2.5 cardinal investigation, which has subpoena power, aims to adjacent gaps successful New Mexico instrumentality that whitethorn person allowed Epstein to run successful the State. The committee starts enactment connected Tuesday (February 17, 2027), and volition present interim findings successful July and a last study by year-end.
“He was fundamentally doing thing helium wanted successful this state without immoderate accountability whatsoever,” said New Mexico authorities Representative Andrea Romero, a Democrat, who co-sponsored the initiative.
Testimony to the committee could beryllium utilized for aboriginal prosecutions, she said.
Victim advocates applauded the move, saying Zorro Ranch had been overlooked by national investigations that focused connected Epstein’s Caribbean land and New York townhouse.
“Many of the survivors had experiences successful New Mexico, and arsenic we’ve learned, you know, determination were section politicians and different radical that were alert of what was happening successful New Mexico,” said lawyer Sigrid McCawley, whose instrumentality firm has represented hundreds of Epstein survivors.
They see the precocious Virginia Giuffre, who was abused galore times astatine the ranch, she said.
The U.S. Department of Justice passed a petition for remark to the FBI. The FBI declined comment.
Also work | Huge cache of Epstein files includes emails financier exchanged with wealthy, powerful
Epstein operated astatine the ranch for decades
Several civilian suits impeach Epstein of sexually assaulting girls astatine Zorro Ranch. He was ne'er charged for the alleged offenses.
Mr. Romero said determination was nary grounds of national instrumentality enforcement searching what was known locally arsenic “the playboy ranch” wherever Epstein is accused of sexually abusing a 16-year-old miss arsenic aboriginal arsenic 1996.
Former New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas launched a probe successful 2019 that was enactment connected clasp astatine the petition of national prosecutors to debar “parallel investigation,” helium said successful a statement.
New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez has assigned a peculiar cause to probe allegations that whitethorn travel done the information commission, spokesperson Lauren Rodriguez said.
Democratic State Representative Marianna Anaya, an advocator for intersexual battle survivors who co-sponsored the legislation, is moving connected accompanying authorities to widen New Mexico’s statute of limitations for puerility intersexual battle that would let civilian actions by survivors of Epstein’s alleged abuse.
Epstein bought the ranch successful 1993 from Bruce King, a three-time New Mexico Democratic politician who died successful 2009.
The financier flew successful guests and “masseuses,” and hired section massage therapists to enactment there, ranch manager Brice Gordon told the FBI successful 2007, according to a study successful the Epstein files.
In an unsealed 2016 tribunal deposition, Giuffre testified Epstein’s spouse Ghislaine Maxwell told her to springiness the precocious erstwhile New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson a “massage” astatine the ranch. In Giuffre’s memoir, she said an acquisition from Maxwell to supply a “massage” meant a unfortunate should supply a intersexual brushwood to an abuser.
Richardson’s typical Madeleine Mahoney successful a 2019 connection said Giuffre’s allegations were “completely false.”
Gordon told the FBI that astir of the masseuses Epstein utilized astatine the ranch were hired locally done the spa Ten Thousand Waves, a Santa Fe institution, oregon by referrals.
Spa spokesperson Sara Bean said successful a telephone interrogation past Tuesday that Ten Thousand Waves neither provided nor referred masseuses to Zorro Ranch.
In the documentary “Surviving Jeffrey Epstein,” erstwhile Santa Fe massage therapist Rachel Benavidez accused Epstein of intersexual maltreatment erstwhile she was hired to enactment astatine the ranch.
Investment advisor Joshua Ramo said on Sunday (February 15, 2026) helium visited the ranch erstwhile for a 2014 luncheon connected behalf of professors from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, who were present. Mr. Ramo, astatine the clip CEO of consulting steadfast Kissinger Associates, said helium and Epstein met with concern figures and scientists astir 14 times successful New York betwixt 2013 and 2016.
“I deferred to the owed diligence of the institutions involved, assuming that his beingness signaled helium had been appropriately vetted,” Mr. Ramo, successful a statement, said of the ranch visit. “I consciousness a deep consciousness of grief for the survivors of his crimes.”
Emails amusement Epstein contacted Mr. Ramo successful 2015 to archer him helium was going to Ten Thousand Waves, suggesting they conscionable for luncheon successful Santa Fe. Mr. Ramo responded, “I assumed we were gathering astatine the pinkish bottommost ranch.” Ramo, who is presently CEO of consulting steadfast Sornay LLC, said helium had nary recollection of that comment, oregon whether the 2 met that day.
Over the years, Epstein contributed to the governmental campaigns of New Mexico Democrats specified arsenic Richardson and King’s lad Gary King, a erstwhile New Mexico lawyer general. When contributions were reported successful the press, the men pledged to either instrumentality the money, oregon springiness it to charity.
Gary King flew connected a level chartered by Epstein erstwhile helium was moving for New Mexico politician successful 2014, according to emails successful the Epstein files. Epstein said he would screen astir fractional the outgo of the $22,000 charter and King would wage the rest. King did not respond to a petition for comment.
