New Mexico sues DOJ for unredacted Epstein records

Attorney General Raúl Torrez filed a petition earlier this week against the Department of Justice demanding unredacted access to federal investigative files involving the multimillionaire convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The federal findings served a critical role in the state’s ongoing criminal probe into alleged crimes carried out at Zorro Ranch, a north-central New Mexico property formerly owned by Epstein, according to the petition. New Mexico held a sworn duty to protect survivors and hold perpetrators accountable for crimes committed within the state, Torrez said Wednesday.

What argument does the state make for access? The DOJ’s refusal to share unredacted materials illegally interfered with the state’s sovereign authority to investigate and prosecute crimes committed within its borders, state prosecutors argued. State investigators previously paused their investigation back in 2019 at the DOJ’s request, with federal investigators promising to share any relevant information they turned up, the filing added. Despite this agreement, federal officials later denied requests from state investigators for files without adequate legal justification, obstructing the state’s ability to investigate crimes within its jurisdiction, according to the filing.

The state reopened its Epstein probe earlier this year after the DOJ’s Epstein file release, and searched the property in March. One specific email in the release included an allegation that two girls died at the ranch and were buried in the hills nearby.