A bipartisan group of four state House representatives is currently probing allegations that a ranch may have been a site for sexual abuse and sex trafficking activities.
New Mexico legislators are also questioning why Jeffrey Epstein was not listed as a sex offender, despite his 2008 guilty plea for soliciting prostitution from a minor. Additionally, they are investigating possible corruption among public officials related to this oversight.
During a press briefing today, Democratic state Representative Marianna Anaya from Albuquerque, who is part of the investigative commission, urged anyone with knowledge of abuse tied to Epstein or those who enabled him to come forward.
“A single perpetrator cannot operate in isolation. They cannot maintain a sex trafficking operation alone nor commit financial crimes without assistance. As a commission, we recognize that those who enabled these actions must also be held accountable, including the state, if necessary,” Anaya stated.
“We are here to listen, and any information shared will remain confidential,” she assured.
Recent revelations of connections to Epstein have resulted in the resignation or removal of several prominent figures.
Epstein purchased the sprawling Zorro Ranch in New Mexico in 1993 from former Democratic Governor Bruce King and built a 2480-square-metre hilltop mansion with a private runway.
The property was sold by Epsteinâs estate in 2023 â with proceeds going to creditors â to the family of Don Huffines, a Republican candidate in Texas for statewide election to the office of comptroller.
In a social media post on X, Huffines said the property has been renamed San Rafael Ranch after a saint associated with healing and that his family plans to operate a Christian retreat there.
Huffines said any request by law enforcement for access would be met with immediate and full cooperation.
Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial in 2019 on charges that he sexually abused and trafficked dozens of underage girls.
Truth commission chairwoman and state Representative Andrea Romero of Santa Fe has said that several survivors of Epsteinâs abuse have signalled that sex trafficking activity extended to the ranch, which is about 56 kilometres south of Santa Fe.
âWeâve heard years of allegations and rumours about Epsteinâs activities here. But unfortunately, federal investigations have failed to put together an official record,â Romero said today.
âThis truth commission will finally fill in the gaps of what we need to know.â
Commission members also include retired FBI agent and Republican state Representative William Hall of Aztec and former district attorney and Representative Andrea Reeb of Clovis.
State House legislators who were present voted unanimously on Monday to create the commission with subpoena power and a budget of over $2 million ($AUD2.8 million)
While Epstein never faced charges in New Mexico, the state attorney generalâs office in 2019 confirmed that it was investigating and had interviewed possible victims who visited the ranch.
In 2023, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez ordered an investigation into financial businesses utilised by Epstein and their legal obligations, resulting in agreements with two banks that dedicate $23.9 million to the prevention of human trafficking, according to a spokesperson for Torrez’s office.
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