New Mexico sues US Justice Department for impeding Epstein probe

What the report says

New Mexico has sued the US Department of Justice and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, accusing the federal government of blocking the state’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein-related activity at Zorro Ranch, the New Mexico property Epstein once owned near Stanley. Al Jazeera reported that Attorney General Raul Torrez says the Justice Department is withholding unredacted records that could help identify victims, witnesses and other possible crimes.

The complaint, filed Wednesday in US District Court in Washington, DC, says state officials have sought federal cooperation for months but have not received the documents they say they need. Torrez has argued that the delay is harming the criminal inquiry and slowing justice for survivors. The Justice Department has said privacy law limits what it can disclose from its Epstein files and has rejected calls to hand over unredacted materials.

According to Al Jazeera, the dispute follows a longer-running breakdown in cooperation between New Mexico and federal authorities. The state opened a probe into Zorro Ranch in 2019, then paused it after the Justice Department asked state investigators to defer to federal efforts. New Mexico reopened the case in February after reviewing newly released Epstein records, which it said contained many references to the ranch and to New Mexico as a location where abuse allegedly occurred.

The case adds to continuing scrutiny of how Epstein’s conduct was investigated and why he faced limited accountability before his death in 2019. More broadly, it reflects ongoing pressure on federal agencies to release Epstein-related records while protecting victim privacy.