New Mexico’s attorney general has released a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice (USDOJ) accusing the federal government of obstructing the state’s investigation into late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The letter, dated June 30, was published online Thursday as part of escalating tensions between state Attorney General Raul Torrez and President Donald Trump’s administration.
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In the document, Torrez outlines a series of requests dating back to February that he claims the Justice Department has not responded to.
“Despite verbal assurances of cooperation from the U.S. Department of Justice, more than 130 days have already passed without access to the requested records or substantive answers provided,” Torrez, a Democrat, wrote.
“(The New Mexico Department of Justice) considers this period to be an unreasonable delay for any reason.”
The southwestern state reopened its investigation into Epstein in February after the federal government released millions of files related to the convicted sex offender.
Some of the records related to Mr. Epstein’s activities at the Zorro Ranch in central New Mexico, which he owned since 1993.
Epstein, a wealthy financier with powerful connections, built a vast complex on his ranch where he entertained his guests. However, allegations of sex trafficking on the premises have not been fully investigated.
reopen case
New Mexico was about to launch an investigation into Epstein’s activities at the site in 2019, but then-state Attorney General Hector Balderas told US media that his office was asked to suspend operations so federal prosecutors could pursue the case.
In Thursday’s letter, Torrez said he intends to close the investigation started by his predecessor, but that the probe faces “real and growing harm” from a lack of federal cooperation.
“The U.S. Department of Justice now has the very records that will allow (the New Mexico Department of Justice) to pick up what was left off due to federal intervention,” Torrez said.
Epstein was convicted in Florida in 2008 of pimping a minor for prostitution and served just 13 months in prison. At the time of his death in 2019, he was in prison awaiting federal trial on charges of masterminding a sex trafficking ring. His victims are believed to number in the hundreds.
Questions about Epstein’s crimes resurfaced in 2025 during the second Trump administration, and Trump was among the politicians, entrepreneurs, and artists who interacted with Epstein.
Critics have accused the Trump administration of a lack of transparency in its handling of the Epstein file. Some have speculated that President Trump’s personal ties to sex offenders may have contributed to his reluctance to release the government’s Epstein files.
Mr. Trump has denied knowledge of or involvement in Mr. Epstein’s criminal activities.
President Trump initially opposed the release of the Epstein file, but in November he supported it and later signed the Epstein File Transparency Act.
The bill would require the Justice Department to release all records relating to Epstein with minimal redactions within 30 days, except in cases to protect the identity of victims.
But lawmakers have questioned whether the Trump administration complied with the law. The first batch of documents was published on December 19, but millions of files did not appear online until late January, many of them heavily redacted.
Meanwhile, the identities of some of the victims were made public in a release.
Access to Epstein files
In Thursday’s letter, Torrez said his office had identified multiple redacted files to which it had requested full access as the state investigated. But he said the Justice Department did not respond to his requests for records.
“Every day the U.S. Department of Justice withholds these records, the foundation on which New Mexico prosecutions are built erodes,” Torrez wrote.
“Witnesses are relocated and cannot be contacted. Memories, already strained by years of trauma, become further faded. Physical and documentary evidence deteriorates over time, is lost, and becomes more difficult to authenticate.”
The Justice Department has denied interfering with Torres’ investigation and has told US media that it stands ready to assist in his stead.
According to Epstein’s released files, in 2019 a conservative talk show host named Edward Aragon contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque office and said he had received information about abuse at the Zorro Ranch.
According to FBI forms, the tipster allegedly offered Aragon “seven videos of sexual abuse by Jeffrey Epstein and location information of two foreign girls buried at Zorro Ranch” to sell for one Bitcoin.
Also in 2019, The New York Times published an article that cited people familiar with Epstein’s plans as saying that Epstein planned to use the ranch to impregnate multiple women and distribute his DNA.
These reports, and testimonies from survivors like Virginia Giuffre, have raised alarm over the activities that took place at Zorro Ranch.
In February, New Mexico became the first state to launch a bipartisan truth commission to investigate Epstein’s crimes. A report from the committee is expected to be released by the end of the year.
Giuffre’s brothers, Skye Roberts and Daniel Wilson, also participated in protests outside the ranch earlier this year. Their sister died by suicide in April 2025.
