Newly released documents reveal that Jeffrey Epstein's sprawling Zorro ranch in New Mexico was a site of horrific abuse, where men were drugged and raped. The nearly 10,000-acre property, located outside Santa Fe, included a 26,700 sq ft mansion, a private runway, and a hangar. According to testimony from multiple women, Epstein abused teenage girls and young women on the ranch with impunity for years.
The documents, released by the US Justice Department, include never-before-seen photos and details of past law enforcement inquiries. Despite authorities searching Epstein's other properties, state and local officials said they were unaware of any federal search of the New Mexico ranch. Hector Balderas, New Mexico's attorney general at the time of Epstein's 2019 arrest, said his office investigated activity in the state but was asked by federal prosecutors to hold any further investigation.
Emails released last week show that in September 2019, Manhattan federal prosecutors confirmed they had spoken with the New Mexico attorney general's office, which agreed to cease its investigation into sex trafficking and share gathered evidence. A December 2019 email from a prosecutor stated they had not searched the New Mexico property. The FBI declined to comment on whether a search had occurred.
Survivors detailed their experiences in court proceedings. One accuser, known as Jane, testified that she met Epstein at age 14 and was sexually abused by him. She recalled being escorted to his bedroom at the ranch when she was 15 or 16, feeling her 'heart sink into my stomach.' Another accuser, Annie Farmer, said Ghislaine Maxwell gave her a nude massage at the ranch when she was 16, and the next morning Epstein climbed into bed with her, pressing his body into hers.
The Zorro ranch was also a place where powerful men allegedly visited, including a former governor. It was reportedly the proposed setting for Epstein's plan to spread his DNA by impregnating as many women as possible. The full extent of the abuse at the ranch remains under scrutiny as more documents are released.
