By Kevin Hendicks and Jesse Jones, The Paper. — The Survivors’ Truth Commission — formally the House Special Investigatory Committee — presented its interim report Wednesday at the State Capitol, outlining its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s Zorro Ranch near Stanley and hearing survivor testimony.
The report details how Epstein operated the 7,600-acre estate with a 28,600-square-foot main residence, roughly 50 employees and a $7 million annual payroll. Staff members signed strict nondisclosure agreements as Epstein maintained a private operation that included flights to and from Albuquerque and Santa Fe, an active shooting range and firearms he was prohibited from owning as a convicted felon. Flight logs show 227 trips on Epstein’s aircraft between 1992 and 2019, including 80 flights without passenger names and 26 that listed only female first names or initials. The panel also found evidence supporting allegations that Epstein abused at least five women and girls at Zorro Ranch between 1996 and 2012, with local massage therapists recruited through the Ten Thousand Waves spa. According to the report, law enforcement agencies failed to aggressively investigate Epstein’s activities in New Mexico, federal authorities failed to prioritize New Mexican victims or search the ranch during his lifetime, and state investigators shared files with federal agencies but received no copies or updates in return.
Commission Chair Rep. Andrea Romero, D-Santa Fe, said the report is the first government account of Epstein’s activities in New Mexico outside of a courtroom. She added that the interim report does not make final findings of wrongdoing but “assembles evidence, identifies the patterns [and] poses the questions of consequence that merit deeper inquiry.”
One survivor addressed the committee during the meeting, sharing her account of how Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell misled her into coming to Zorro Ranch. Rachel Benavidez criticized federal authorities, saying the FBI told former state Attorney General Hector Balderas to “stand down” on a state investigation after Epstein’s 2019 arrest and refused to return evidence collected by state investigators. “New Mexico was treated like a ghost while my survivor sisters continue to show up in Washington demanding accountability,” Benavidez said. “There is a mountain of evidence this government has been sitting on for decades.”
The panel also discussed next steps but did not take up the Senate Republican Caucus’ request to subpoena gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland or U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury. Instead, members unanimously approved four new subpoenas for the state departments of Workforce Solutions, Public Safety, and Health, as well as the Ten Thousand Waves spa. Read the full story on the subpoena request.
About the commission
The New Mexico House created the committee by unanimous vote in February to investigate Epstein’s activities at Zorro Ranch, which he owned for 26 years, and to determine why alleged abuse there went unaddressed for decades. House Speaker Javier Martínez appointed four members: Chair Romero and Marianna Anaya, both Santa Fe-area Democrats, alongside Republicans Andrea Reeb, a former district attorney and Bill Hall, a retired FBI agent. The panel carries subpoena power, a roughly $2 million budget and coordinates its findings with the state Department of Justice. Its stated purpose is determining whether state law needs to change to better protect children, secure civil justice and hold public officials accountable for misconduct connected to the case.
Epstein bought the property from former Gov. Bruce King in 1993, expanding it into a compound with an airstrip and guesthouses. Multiple accusers, including Virginia Roberts Giuffre, alleged abuse or trafficking at the ranch over the years, and Epstein was never required to register as a sex offender in New Mexico after his 2008 Florida plea deal. He died in federal custody in 2019, and an undisclosed buyer purchased the property in 2023.
Next Steps
The commission’s legal team will begin conducting interviews and depositions with current and former estate employees, contractors, associates and officials. The panel also plans to inspect Zorro Ranch with its current owners and is preparing legislation for the 2027 session to close the state’s sex offender registration loophole and eliminate the statute of limitations for human trafficking cases.
The interim report is available on the New Mexico Legislature’s website under the House Special Investigatory Committee page and on the commission’s website at nmtruthcommission.com.
Follow the commission’s work:
- Committee contact: (505) 986-4600 or Randall Cherry (Randall.Cherry@nmlegis.gov)
- Full committee page: House Special Investigatory Committee