New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez sued two longtime associates of Jeffrey Epstein on Wednesday, seeking to block them from collecting compensation for their roles as executors of the financier’s estate.
The complaint accuses attorney Darren Indyke and accountant Richard Kahn of helping to “facilitate and conceal” Epstein’s sex-trafficking operation at Zorro Ranch, his sprawling property near Santa Fe.
In announcing the lawsuit, Torrez said Epstein “did not operate alone” and that his death should not end efforts to hold accountable those who helped enable his crimes.
“The allegations in this lawsuit describe a network of people and financial arrangements that helped sustain and conceal the abuse of vulnerable girls and young women, including here in New Mexico,” Torrez said. He added that people accused of enabling the exploitation should not be permitted to profit while survivors continue to face the consequences.
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During congressional testimony in March, Indyke and Kahn said they had no knowledge of Epstein’s crimes beyond his 2008 guilty plea to prostitution-related charges. Their attorneys said Wednesday that the men “emphatically reject” claims they knowingly participated in or facilitated Epstein’s sexual abuse and trafficking, which they said took place privately, in isolated settings and, in some instances, when neither man was present.
The lawyers also criticized the attorney general’s investigation, saying neither Indyke nor Kahn was contacted before the complaint was filed. They called the case baseless and said the lack of an interview raised questions about both the investigation’s completeness and the motives behind the lawsuit.
Indyke worked with Epstein for decades, while Kahn was associated with him for more than 10 years. Epstein died in 2019 in a federal detention facility, where he was awaiting trial on charges of trafficking minors. A medical examiner ruled his death a suicide.
According to the lawsuit, Indyke and Kahn were important members of “an informal network of associates” allegedly united by the goal of knowingly helping Epstein hide his criminal activity while protecting and expanding his wealth and influence.
Survivors have previously identified Indyke and Kahn as key figures in overseeing dozens of interconnected companies that handled payments for Epstein. The pair also recently settled a lawsuit accusing them of arranging sham marriages between foreign-born women Epstein had abused and American men, allegedly to address immigration issues.
Six survivors of Epstein’s abuse welcomed the New Mexico lawsuit in a statement released Wednesday.
“Those who argue that [Epstein] could not have acted alone are right. His operation depended on the appearance of legitimacy and access to money carefully structured to avoid exposing his crimes,” said Marina Lacerda, Anouska De Georgiou, Julia Molchanova, Courtney Wild, Jena Lisa Jones and Chauntae Davies. “This lawsuit is aimed at the two men most responsible for that appearance and structure.”
Epstein bought Zorro Ranch in 1993 and later built a mansion, airstrip and helipad on the New Mexico property. The state was investigating him when he died, and Torrez reopened that inquiry this year.
