{"id":456771,"date":"2026-02-08T17:56:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-08T17:56:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/456771\/"},"modified":"2026-02-08T17:56:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T17:56:07","slug":"from-new-york-to-new-mexico-new-epstein-files-shed-light-on-his-sprawling-ranch-outside-santa-fe-jeffrey-epstein","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/456771\/","title":{"rendered":"From New York to New Mexico: new Epstein files shed light on his sprawling ranch outside Santa Fe | Jeffrey Epstein"},"content":{"rendered":"

For years, Jeffrey Epstein<\/a> took respite at a sprawling ranch in the desert scrub outside Santa Fe, New Mexico. Epstein\u2019s nearly 10,000-acre<\/a> (4,000-hectare) property \u2013 known as Zorro ranch \u2013 was dotted with cholla cactus and Angus cattle, and came to include a 26,700 sq ft mansion, as well as a private runway and hangar.<\/p>\n

For years, Epstein abused teenage girls and young women on this ranch with impunity, according to testimony from several women. In court proceedings, survivors detailed horror after horror they say unfolded on this isolated expanse of land.<\/p>\n

Authorities searched many of Epstein\u2019s other properties over the years \u2013 his New York townhouse<\/a>, private Caribbean<\/a> island, Palm Beach estate<\/a> and Paris apartment <\/a>\u2013 but state and local officials said they were not aware of any federal search of the ranch.<\/p>\n

Hector Balderas, New Mexico\u2019s attorney general at the time of Epstein\u2019s 2019 arrest, said that in 2019 his office \u201cinvestigated activity that occurred in New Mexico<\/a> that was still viable for prosecution, including contact with multiple victims\u201d. But, he said, the US attorneys in New York handling the federal investigation \u201casked that we hold any further state investigation or prosecution of activity related to Epstein, as they communicated to us that they were already leading an active multi-jurisdictional prosecution\u201d.<\/p>\n

Emails released<\/a> by the justice department last week as part of a large set of documents related to Epstein also suggest that a search did not occur around the time of Epstein\u2019s arrest. In September 2019, Manhattan federal prosecutors said that they spoke with the New Mexico attorney general\u2019s office, who they said had \u201cagreed to cease any investigation into sex trafficking and share whatever they had gathered regarding sex trafficking activity with our office\u201d.<\/p>\n

Epstein\u2019s Zorro ranch. Photograph: Department of JusticeEpstein\u2019s Zorro ranch. Photograph: Department of Justice<\/p>\n

In a December 2019 email<\/a>, a prosecutor told a lawyer for one of Epstein\u2019s estate co-executors that they had \u201cnot searched the New Mexico property\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Department of Justice deferred inquiries from the Guardian to the FBI. The FBI\u2019s main office, when asked whether they searched the property, said: \u201cUnfortunately, we don\u2019t have a comment.\u201d The FBI office governing Santa Fe similarly said: \u201cWe have no comment at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Zorro ranch was a place where powerful men allegedly visited including a former governor of the state. It was also the proposed setting for Epstein\u2019s previously reported<\/a> plans to spread his DNA across the human race by impregnating as many women as possible.<\/p>\n

A Guardian review of the recently released documents has uncovered more details about the ranch, including never-before-seen photos, and about past law enforcement inquiries related to the property.<\/p>\n

Multiple women have said that Epstein abused them as teen girls or young adults on his New Mexico ranch.<\/p>\n

Among them is Jane, the first accuser<\/a> to testify at Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell<\/a>\u2019s sex-trafficking trial. Jane said that she met Epstein in 1994 while attending the Interlochen Center for the Arts, an esteemed youth arts camp in Michigan. When Maxwell and Epstein learned that Jane was from Palm Beach, they requested her mother\u2019s phone number, she testified.<\/p>\n

Jane provided them with her mom\u2019s contact information. When Jane returned from Interlochen, she and her mother were invited to tea.<\/p>\n

She started spending time with Epstein and Maxwell. Epstein started to sexually abuse Jane when she was 14.<\/p>\n

Jane said that she traveled with Epstein and Maxwell to New York City and New Mexico. \u201cI just remember someone, at one point, just came into [my] room and said: \u2018Jeffrey wants to see you,\u2019 and then escorted me to see him,\u201d she said. \u201cI just, as usual, felt, like, my heart sink into my stomach, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zorro ranch in New Mexico in 2019. Photograph: Zeitview\/Reuters<\/p>\n

\u201cI did not want to go see him,\u201d said Jane, who recalled being 15 or 16 at the time. \u201cI just remember being led to his bedroom and, you know, the same thing would happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Annie Farmer, the fourth accuser to testify at Maxwell\u2019s sex-trafficking trial, said<\/a> that the British socialite gave her a nude massage at the ranch when she was 16.<\/p>\n

During Maxwell\u2019s trial, Farmer testified that the morning after this encounter with Maxwell, Epstein lumbered into bed with her and said he \u201cwanted to cuddle\u201d and she \u201cfelt kind of frozen\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe pressed his body into me,\u201d she said. Farmer testified that she told Epstein she needed the restroom, as to escape.<\/p>\n

Another woman identified as Jane Doe said<\/a> she met Epstein during a school trip to New York City. At Epstein\u2019s townhouse, his secretary allegedly took photos of her and told her that Epstein \u201creally wanted to meet her\u201d. A few weeks later, Jane Doe alleged that the secretary emailed that \u201cEpstein was excited by the photos and that he was very interested in [her] … \u201d.<\/p>\n

Jane Doe and her sister were invited to a magic show in Las Vegas and then Epstein\u2019s ranch. After the magic show, they flew on Epstein\u2019s plane to New Mexico. He was there \u201calong with several young girls\u201d, Jane Doe claimed.<\/p>\n

Interior of Epstein\u2019s Zorro ranch. Photograph: Department of Justice<\/p>\n

At the ranch, Jane Doe said she was summoned to the main house and brought to Epstein\u2019s bedroom. There, she alleged, Epstein was wearing a bathrobe and demanded a massage. She felt that Epstein wanted her to participate in sexual activity \u201cbut she did not know what it was. Epstein seemed to get frustrated as a result.\u201d Epstein assaulted her with a device, she said in court papers.<\/p>\n

Virginia Giuffre, one of the most vocal Epstein accusers, was among those who said they were victimized at the ranch. Giuffre, who sued Maxwell for defamation after the British socialite accused her of lying, provided photos of herself at the ranch in a 2015 court document<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Giuffre said that Epstein trafficked her to powerful men at the ranch, including <\/a>the late Bill Richardson, who served as New Mexico governor from 2003 to 2011.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for Richardson, who died in 2023, previously said<\/a> that the former governor never met Giuffre and that \u201cthese allegations and inferences are completely false\u201d and that in his \u201climited interactions with Mr Epstein, he never saw him in the presence of young or underage girls\u201d.<\/p>\n

Epstein bought the secluded New Mexico property<\/a> in 1993<\/a> from the family <\/a>of Bruce King, the state\u2019s former three-time Democratic governor. Records<\/a> show that Epstein acquired the property through an entity named the Zorro Trust<\/a>, which later became Cypress Inc<\/a>, and that the purchase included about 1,200 acres (485 hectares) of state land, leased for agricultural purposes.<\/p>\n

Undated photos in the batch of Epstein files released last week offer rare glimpses of life on the ranch: Epstein\u2019s giant mansion, the stables, a vintage caboose and livestock, as well as Epstein himself on the land with dogs. Other images show young women, whose faces are redacted, riding horses, practicing archery and shooting.<\/p>\n

Several men also appear in the photos, including the late French modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel<\/a>, linguist Noam Chomsky and film-maker Woody Allen. A representative for Allen did not respond to a request for comment about the image. Neither Chomsky nor Allen have been accused of criminal wrongdoing related to Epstein.<\/p>\n

In a lengthy statement, Valeria Chomsky, the second wife and spokesperson for Chomsky, said that they had lunch at Epstein\u2019s ranch once, \u201cin connection with a professional event\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe attended social meetings, lunches, and dinners where Epstein was present and academic matters were discussed,\u201d she said. \u201cWe never witnessed any inappropriate, criminal, or reproachable behavior from Epstein or others. At no time did we see children or underage individuals present.\u201d<\/p>\n

After Epstein pleaded guilty to<\/a> state prostitution-related charges in Florida in 2008, including soliciting a minor in a controversial deal that let him avoid federal charges, the ranch provided a quiet retreat. That was until July 2019, when Epstein was charged with sex trafficking crimes in New York<\/a>, and state officials quickly began taking a look at his desert ranch.<\/p>\n

Balderas, New Mexico\u2019s then-attorney general, opened an investigation<\/a> that month, and Stephanie Garcia Richard, who was newly elected as the state\u2019s commissioner of public land, provided<\/a> some 400 pages of lease documents to Balderas and began reviewing Epstein\u2019s two state grazing leases.<\/p>\n

Epstein\u2019s Zorro ranch. Photograph: Department of Justice<\/p>\n

That same month, the New York Times<\/a> reported that Epstein had privately told scientists and business associates that he had hoped to use the ranch as a base where women would be inseminated with his sperm, and would give birth to his babies.<\/p>\n

In September 2019, Garcia Richard cancelled Epstein\u2019s state grazing leases<\/a>, citing obstructed inspections, misrepresentation in filings and that the attorney general had concluded that the entity may have obtained \u201cthe leases through illegitimate means for purposes other than ranching or agriculture\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis land was no doubt used to protect the privacy of Epstein and his co-conspirators, and today we took steps to take back this public land,\u201d Garcia Richard said at the time.<\/p>\n

Garcia Richard told the Guardian that the 1,200 acres have since been divided into two parcels. One, she said, has been considered for a number of uses, including a wildlife refuge area or as a \u201cpotential memorial site for girls and women who were harmed at the ranch\u201d, while the other remains leasable.<\/p>\n

In 2021, Epstein\u2019s estate listed the<\/a> remaining roughly 8,000 acres<\/a> for sale<\/a>, including the residences and structures. The Wall Street Journal reported<\/a> that the proceeds were set to go to his estate \u201cincluding as necessary to compensate claimants, tax authorities, and creditors\u201d.<\/p>\n

The property was sold in 2023<\/a> to an LLC listed as San Rafael Ranch LLC. Later that year, the New Mexico attorney general Ra\u00fal Torrez announced<\/a> a $4.95m pledge<\/a> by Deutsche Bank \u2013 which, earlier that year, had agreed to pay $75m<\/a> to settle a lawsuit brought by a group of women who accused the German lender of helping facilitate Epstein\u2019s sex-trafficking operations \u2013 to \u201cfund additional resources to prevent, investigate, and prosecute human trafficking in the state of New Mexico\u201d.<\/p>\n

The funding, officials said, stemmed from an investigation Torrez conducted into \u201cvarious financial services companies and the role they played in failing to identify the sexual abuse and trafficking of underage girls\u201d at Zorro ranch.<\/p>\n

While Epstein\u2019s activities at Zorro ranch remained hidden from public view, records recently released by the Department of Justice indicate that federal authorities briefly took an interest in the property almost 20 years ago.<\/p>\n

In February 2007, as part of an investigation of child sex abuse<\/a> in Florida, records show that the FBI interviewed Epstein\u2019s ranch manager<\/a> at the New Mexico property.<\/p>\n

Jeffrey Epstein. Photograph: Department of Justice<\/p>\n

Per the document, the ranch manager told the FBI that he and his wife had overseen the property for about four years, and that Epstein typically spent several weeks there in the summer, often accompanied by \u201chis personal assistant, his bodyguard, friends, personal trainer, and sometimes his masseuses\u201d.<\/p>\n

The interview ended abruptly, according to the agent. The investigator wrote that someone called the staff and instructed them that \u201cthey were no longer allowed to speak with us\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe interview was immediately ended,\u201d the report notes.<\/p>\n

Other than that, Epstein and his ranch appeared to have drawn little law enforcement scrutiny prior to his death. The Santa Fe county sheriff\u2019s office, which has jurisdiction over the ranch, had records of several incidents on or around the property; none were related to alleged sex abuse.<\/p>\n

Records do show that Epstein registered with the Santa Fe county sheriff\u2019s office as a sex offender on 17 August 2010, after being notified by the New Mexico department of public safety that they had received notification from Florida authorities about his conviction, and that he had to register with the state. But, records also show that the department of public safety informed him later that month that they had determined that, per state law<\/a>, he was not required to register as a sex offender in New Mexico.<\/p>\n

Newly released files also include a 2019 FBI tip report<\/a> stating that a \u201cretired new mexico state police officer\u201d \u2013 whose name is redacted \u2013 reported hearing \u201crumors\u201d that the ranch was \u201cused for recruited girls to visit with Epstein\u201d but the FBI stated that he had \u201cno factual evidence to support this claim\u201d. The retired police officer also said that there had been a lot of \u201chigh profile people seen frequenting the property\u201d and raised concerns about a newly constructed barn on the land.<\/p>\n

Aside from the 2019 investigation opened by the New Mexico attorney general\u2019s office, but later put on hold at the behest of federal authorities, there appears to be no active state or local criminal investigations into what occurred at Zorro ranch, according to local prosecutors at the Santa Fe county sheriff\u2019s office, and the state department of justice.<\/p>\n

But state officials are pushing for answers about what occurred there.<\/p>\n

Late last year, state lawmakers proposed a bipartisan \u201ctruth commission\u201d to investigate what happened at the ranch. The state department of justice said it is working with the lawmakers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis commission will specifically seek the truth about what officials knew, how crimes were unreported or reported, and how the state can ensure that this essentially never happens again,\u201d Democratic state representative Andrea Romero of Santa Fe, who is leading the efforts, told a panel of<\/a> legislators in November. \u201cThere\u2019s no complete record of what occurred.\u201d<\/p>\n

Romero told the Guardian that, based on conversations with law enforcement and the attorney general\u2019s office, it is her understanding that federal agents never searched the ranch.<\/p>\n

Epstein, she noted, \u201cwas here for 26-plus years, back and forth, in and out, and yet we have no actual story as to what went on\u201d.<\/p>\n

A reproduction of The Massacre of the Innocents, by Dutch painter Cornelis Cornelisz van Haarlem, commissioned by Epstein. Photograph: Department of Justice<\/p>\n

The commission could be greenlighted by the state house as early as next week, she said.<\/p>\n

For now, the story of Epstein\u2019s New Mexico ranch remains told in fragments: survivors\u2019 accounts, property listings<\/a> and land records, as well as a growing archive of documents released by the Department of Justice.<\/p>\n

Among them are emails from 2011 showing<\/a> that Epstein commissioned a $2,000<\/a> reproduction of The Massacre of the Innocents, by Dutch painter Cornelis Cornelisz van Haarlem. The tableau depicts a biblical massacre of all male children in Bethlehem under age two.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the large 9\u2019x9\u2019 canvas that we had rolled out for him to see in the entry way where they are killing babies,\u201d one of Epstein\u2019s assistants writes<\/a> to another one of his employees, to arrange shipping. Epstein, she said, \u201cwants to use it on the ranch\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For years, Jeffrey Epstein took respite at a sprawling ranch in the desert scrub outside Santa Fe, New…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":456772,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[23,3,21,19,22,20,25,24],"class_list":{"0":"post-456771","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-united-states","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-united-states","11":"tag-united-states-of-america","12":"tag-unitedstates","13":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","14":"tag-us","15":"tag-usa"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/456771","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=456771"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/456771\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/456772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=456771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=456771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=456771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}