SWFL.io - Local NewsSANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — State legislators in New Mexico launched an investigation Tuesday into past activity at a secluded desert ranch where financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein once entertained guests, and whether local authorities looked the other way.
A bipartisan, four-member panel of state House representatives are investigating allegations that the ranch may have facilitated sexual abuse and sex trafficking. New Mexico lawmakers also say they want to know why Epstein was not registered as a sex offender after pleading guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from an underage girl and whether there was corruption among public officials.
Democratic state Rep. Marianna Anaya of Albuquerque, a member of the truth commission, urged people to come forward with information about any abuse at the ranch linked to Epstein and other people who made it possible, at a news conference Tuesday.
“That perpetrator could not act alone. They could not run a sex ring alone, they could not commit these types of financial crimes alone. So we know as a commission that enablers must also be held accountable, including the state itself, if needed,” said Anaya . "If you do want to share, we’ll be here and we will be operating with confidentiality.”
Revelations of ties to Epstein have led to the departure or ousting of multiple high-profile people in recent days.
Epstein purchased the sprawling Zorro Ranch in New Mexico in 1993 from former Democratic Gov. Bruce King and built a 26,700-square-foot (2,480-square-meter) hilltop mansion with a private runway. The property was sold by Epstein’s estate in 2023, with proceeds going to creditors.
Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial in 2019 on charges that he sexually abused and trafficked dozens of underage girls.
Truth commission chairwoman and state Rep. Andrea Romero of Santa Fe has said that several survivors of Epstein’s abuse have signaled that sex trafficking activity extended to the ranch, which is about 35 miles (56 kilometers) south of Santa Fe.
“We’ve heard years of allegations and rumors about Epstein’s activities here. But unfortunately, federal investigations have failed to put together an official record,” Romero said Tuesday. “This truth commission will finally fill in the gaps of what we need to know.”
Commission members also include retired FBI agent and Republican state Rep. William Hall of Aztec and former district attorney and Rep. Andrea Reeb of Clovis. State House legislators who were present voted unanimously on Monday to create the commission with subpoena power and a budget of over $2 million.
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.
In 2023, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez ordered an investigation into financial businesses utilized by Epstein and their legal obligations, resulting in agreements with two banks that dedicate $17 million to the prevention of human trafficking, according to a spokesperson for Torrez's office.