New Mexico accuses Justice Department of stalling its Epstein investigation
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez has accused the US Justice Department of obstructing his state’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, saying that despite verbal assurances of cooperation his office has waited more than 130 days without gaining access to the records it requested. In a letter dated June 30, Torrez wrote that the delay erodes the foundation on which a New Mexico prosecution could be built, and that fully unredacted files are needed to proceed.
The state reopened its Epstein inquiry in February 2026 after the federal government released millions of files, and it is focused on his Zorro Ranch in central New Mexico — a property he owned from 1993 where allegations of sex trafficking were never fully investigated. A bipartisan state “truth commission” examining Epstein’s crimes is expected to report by year-end. The dispute illustrates the practical dependence of a state prosecution on federal cooperation: without unredacted DOJ records, Torrez’s office lacks the evidence to build charges.
The Justice Department denied impeding the investigation, saying it stands ready to assist New Mexico.