New Mexico has sued the US Justice Department to obtain all documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. The state is seeking their release without redactions.
A petition filed by the New Mexico Department of Justice argues that federal authorities’ refusal to share the documents violates the Administrative Procedure Act. The filing alleges that this stance also prevents the state from exercising its authority to investigate crimes believed to have been committed within its territory.
The state asked the court to declare the US Justice Department’s decision not to share the information unlawful and to order the documents provided to New Mexico without any portions being removed.
Torrez: Delay is harming criminal investigation
New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez said the state government has a responsibility to protect victims and investigate crimes committed within the state’s borders.
Torrez said they had requested critical documents to identify possible crimes, victims and witnesses. Saying they had sought cooperation from the US Justice Department, Torrez stated that the delay in receiving the documents was harming the criminal investigation and postponing the justice Epstein’s victims deserved.
Zorro Ranch is the main focus of the case
According to the petition, Epstein regularly used a property called Zorro Ranch in New Mexico for more than 25 years. The petition said thousands of references to New Mexico and the property appear in publicly released court documents.
The filing alleges that federal archives contain evidence concerning Zorro Ranch, Epstein and people associated with Ghislaine Maxwell that could be linked to human trafficking, sexual assault and other crimes.
State restarts investigation
New Mexico’s filing says federal prosecutors asked state authorities in 2019 to halt their investigation. It says federal authorities promised to share relevant information after completing their own investigations, but those documents were not provided to the state despite the years that have passed.
New Mexico law enforcement subsequently restarted the investigation and searched Zorro Ranch for the first time. State authorities continued their examination.
Earlier findings in the Epstein investigation
Jeffrey Epstein had been accused of sexually assaulting numerous underage girls and establishing a network based on the sexual abuse of minors. The youngest victim was said to have been 14 years old.
Epstein was found dead on August 10, 2019, in the federal Metropolitan Correctional Center prison in Manhattan, New York, while his trial was ongoing.
Publicly released court documents included the names of Prince Andrew, US President Donald Trump, former US President Bill Clinton, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, former US Vice President Al Gore, actor Kevin Spacey, singer Michael Jackson, illusionist David Copperfield, attorney Alan Dershowitz and former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. The documents did not convey any finding or ruling that the people named had been involved in Epstein’s crimes.
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation said after its review with the US Justice Department that it had found no evidence supporting claims that Epstein maintained a client list made up of prominent figures.
The bureau also said its investigation concluded that Epstein died by suicide in his prison cell, despite claims that he had been killed to conceal crimes by certain officials, celebrities and businesspeople.
