A State Investigator Says Vital Evidence Regarding Jeffrey Epstein Is Disappearing Because the DOJ Refuses to Release Key Files
Race against time.
A state investigator in New Mexico is sounding the alarm that critical evidence tied to Jeffrey Epstein is vanishing, all because the Department of Justice is dragging its feet on releasing key files. According to Al Jazeera, Attorney General Raul Torrez dropped a letter accusing the Trump administration of stonewalling his state’s investigation into Epstein’s activities at the infamous Zorro Ranch.
The letter, dated June 30, 2026, and published online on July 9, lays out a frustrating pattern of ignored requests and broken promises that Torrez says is actively sabotaging the case. He pointed out that his office has been waiting over 130 days for records the DOJ promised to hand over, calling the delay “unreasonable under any rule of reason.”
The New Mexico Department of Justice reopened its Epstein investigation in February after the federal government finally dumped millions of related files. Some of those documents directly reference Zorro Ranch, the sprawling New Mexico property Epstein owned since 1993. But Torrez says the DOJ is sitting on redacted files his team needs to build a case, and every day that passes means witnesses scatter, memories fade, and evidence degrades.
This isn’t the first time New Mexico has tried to dig into Epstein’s operations at Zorro Ranch
In 2019, then-Attorney General Hector Balderas hit pause on the state’s investigation at the feds’ request, only for the case to stall out entirely. Torrez is now picking up where Balderas left off, but he’s making it clear the DOJ’s lack of cooperation is doing real damage.
“The USDOJ now holds in its possession the very records that would allow the [New Mexico Department of Justice] to resume what federal intervention interrupted,” he wrote. The DOJ, for its part, claims it’s ready to assist but hasn’t actually delivered the goods.
The timing here is especially messy. Epstein’s crimes resurfaced in a big way in 2025, during Trump’s second term, after years of speculation about his ties to the convicted sex trafficker. Trump has always denied any involvement in Epstein’s activities, but critics have accused his administration of slow-walking the release of Epstein’s files.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act, which Trump signed into law last November, was supposed to force the DOJ to publish all Epstein records within 30 days, with minimal redactions. The first batch dropped on December 19, but it wasn’t until late January that millions more went public. Even then, many were heavily redacted. Some victims’ identities were exposed in the process.
Torrez’s letter highlights just how high the stakes are
He warned that the DOJ’s delays are eroding the foundation of potential prosecution in New Mexico. Witnesses are relocating, memories are fading, and evidence may be becoming harder to authenticate. “Every day that the USDOJ withholds these records, the foundation upon which a New Mexico prosecution could be built erodes,” he wrote. The DOJ has pushed back, telling media outlets it’s ready to help, but Torrez’s letter suggests that’s not the reality on the ground.
The Zorro Ranch has long been a focal point of the disgraced financier’s alleged crimes. In 2019, a conservative talk show host named Edward Aragon told the FBI he’d received a tip about abuse on the property, including an offer to sell “seven videos of sexual abuse by Jeffrey Epstein and the location of two foreign girls buried on Zorro Ranch for one bitcoin.”
That same year, the NYT reported that Epstein had allegedly planned to use the ranch as a site to impregnate multiple women, a claim that’s only added to the property’s dark legacy. Survivors like Virginia Giuffre have also testified about the horrors that took place there. Earlier this year, Giuffre’s brothers, Sky Roberts and Daniel Wilson, staged a protest outside the ranch. Giuffre herself died by suicide in April 2025, leaving behind a family still fighting for answers.
New Mexico isn’t just sitting on its hands. In February, the state became the first to launch a bipartisan “truth commission” to investigate Epstein’s crimes, with a report expected by the end of the year. But if the DOJ keeps withholding files, that commission could be dead in the water.
Across the pond, Epstein’s shadow still looms large
According to The Guardian, the Thames Valley Police in the UK are reportedly planning to travel to the U.S. to speak with Giuffre’s relatives as part of their investigation into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. The force is looking into allegations that Andrew shared confidential material with Epstein and may have been involved in other misconduct.
Giuffre’s brother and sister-in-law, Sky and Amanda Roberts, say UK officers will be visiting the U.S. soon, though it won’t be a formal interview since they’re not direct witnesses. The Roberts family has been vocal about their frustration.
Andrew, who settled a lawsuit with Giuffre in 2022 for a reported £12 million without admitting liability, has long denied any wrongdoing. Thames Valley Police are also looking into allegations that Epstein sent another woman to the UK in 2010 for a sexual encounter with Andrew at Royal Lodge, though that woman has reportedly decided not to pursue a formal complaint.
The parallels between the investigations are hard to ignore
Both cases hinge on access to critical evidence and cooperation from authorities, and both have been plagued by delays and roadblocks. In New Mexico, Torrez is fighting to keep the investigation alive, while in the UK, Giuffre’s family is pushing for accountability in a case that’s already seen more than its share of setbacks.
The Met Police interviewed Giuffre in 2015 after she made allegations of trafficking against Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell but didn’t launch a full investigation, citing jurisdictional issues.
(Featured image: RadicalMedia with James Patterson Entertainment and Third Eye Motion Picture Company)
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