New Mexico sues federal government for release of Epstein files
FILE-A close up image of a tablet screen displaying a portrait of Jeffrey Epstein beside the official U.S. Department of Justice website page titled Epstein Library in Washington, D.C. on February 11, 2026. (Photo by Véronique Tournier / Hans Lucas /
New Mexico officials sued the Justice Department for access to unredacted files on Jeffrey Epstein, accusing the federal agency of obstructing the state’s probe into Epstein with their unwillingness to furnish the documents.
In February, New Mexico reopened its Epstein investigation and asked for unredacted Department of Justice files to identify visitors and staff at Zorro Ranch, a property owned by Epstein in the state, who allegedly took part in crimes, or witnessed them, Reuters reported.
Justice Department officials told Reuters that it furnished some Epstein files but was prevented from giving other material based on privacy protections.
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Responding to the lawsuit, the Department of Justice said that under the Epstein Files Transparency Act and court orders, the federal agency was neither required nor allowed to reveal victim-identifying information.
New Mexico lawmakers released an interim report for a Truth Commission probe, an independent investigation into Epstein.
RELATED: Unredacted Epstein files denied by DOJ for New Mexico case
Citing the report, Reports noted that current evidence reveals Epstein abused about five women and girls at Zorro Ranch between 1996 and 2012.
The Truth Commission counted roughly 30 other people who possibly were abused in New Mexico. Some may be witnesses to abuse, others may be facilitators of abuse, and some might be both, according to the report.
New Mexico officials allege that the Justice Department reneged on a 2019 agreement under which the state agreed to stop its Epstein investigation and provide evidence to the federal agency in return for continued information sharing on alleged survivors and crimes.
Who was Jeffrey Epstein?
The backstory:
Jeffrey Epstein was a millionaire known for having connections to celebrities, politicians, and billionaires. In 2005, Epstein was accused of paying a 14-year-old girl for sex, and he was arrested a year later following a police investigation.
The Associated Press reported that dozens of other underage girls described similar sexual abuse allegations to authorities, but prosecutors allowed Epstein to plead guilty in 2008 to a charge involving one victim. He served 13 months in a jail work-release program.
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In 2024, documents were unsealed as part of a 2015 lawsuit filed against Epstein’s former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell by Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s victims. According to the AP, Guiffre is one of the dozens of women who sued Epstein, saying he abused them at his homes in Florida, New York, the U.S. Virgin Islands and New Mexico.
Federal prosecutors in New York charged Epstein in 2019 with sex trafficking, but he killed himself in jail while awaiting trial. Maxwell was prosecuted for helping recruit his underage victims, and she was convicted in 2021 and is currently serving a 20-year prison term.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by Reuters and previous FOX Local reporting. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.