New Mexico sued the Department of Justice and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche Wednesday for "stonewalling" its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein's Zorro Ranch.
In a 40-page filing, New Mexico asked for access to unredacted documents from the Epstein files that it claimed the DOJ has been intentionally withholding.
Zorro Ranch, located roughly 30 miles south of Santa Fe in the high desert, was rumored to be a hotbed of illicit activity under Epstein's stewardship. Some of the notorious child sex offender's victims, including Virginia Giuffre, claimed they were trafficked at the New Mexico estate, and emails issued by ranch staffers allege that the bodies of at least two girls were buried under the building by Epstein's order, according to documents made public by the Justice Department via the Epstein files.
At one point, Epstein even contemplated turning the estate, which he purchased in 1993, into a headquarters for genetic engineering experiments.
"New Mexico has a duty to protect survivors and investigate crimes committed in our state so that perpetrators can be held accountable," said Attorney General Raúl Torrez in a statement. "We asked the Department of Justice to cooperate by providing access to records that may be critical to identifying victims, witnesses, and additional criminal conduct at Zorro Ranch. Their delay is actively hurting our criminal investigation and delaying justice Epstein survivors deserve."