Epstein Probe Collapsed After Trump DOJ Seized Control

Newly unsealed records show New Mexico's investigation into Epstein's Zorro Ranch was dismantled by federal prosecutors.

Published on Mar. 2, 2026

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Newly unsealed federal records reveal how a New Mexico sex trafficking investigation into Jeffrey Epstein's desert estate was dismantled from the inside, and how the Department of Justice that was supposed to pick up the case may have buried it instead. Documents show New Mexico state investigators handed over evidence to federal prosecutors in 2019, but the federal case never materialized and the state was left with nothing.

Why it matters

The handling of the New Mexico material fits a broader pattern described by victim advocates and former investigators: evidence gathered at significant cost, transferred in good faith to federal authorities, and then either lost in bureaucratic process or quietly withheld. This raises questions about the actions of the Trump-era DOJ and its commitment to pursuing justice for Epstein's victims.

The details

In the summer of 2019, federal prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York asked New Mexico to stand down on its investigation into sex trafficking at Epstein's 7,500-acre Zorro Ranch. New Mexico agreed and handed over police reports, recorded witness interviews, and other evidence, but federal prosecutors gave nothing back. The federal investigation's ultimate output, a public database of more than 3 million pages of Epstein-related documents, has itself become a source of controversy, with allegations that the DOJ withheld dozens of pages of FBI interviews related to sexual abuse allegations involving President Donald Trump.

  • In the summer of 2019, federal prosecutors asked New Mexico to stand down on its investigation.
  • On September 17, 2019, New Mexico had already sent a package to federal prosecutors containing evidence.
  • In July 2020, New Mexico's office urged federal prosecutors to seize Zorro Ranch through civil forfeiture, but they never acted on the request.
  • The ranch was eventually sold in 2023 by Epstein's estate to a Texas real estate developer.
  • In January and February 2026, the Justice Department released a public database of more than 3 million pages of Epstein-related documents.

The players

Hector Balderas

Former New Mexico Attorney General who is now president of Northern New Mexico College in Española.

Clara Moran

Former Chief Deputy Attorney General of New Mexico who is now a judge of the 2nd Judicial District Court.

Maureen Comey

Former assistant U.S. Attorney who was heading the Epstein criminal case.

Donald Trump

Former President of the United States.

Don Huffines

Texas real estate developer who purchased Epstein's Zorro Ranch in 2023.

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What they’re saying

“We were never informed whether they obtained search warrants or searched the property.”

— Hector Balderas, Former New Mexico Attorney General (Albuquerque Journal)

“I was calling for them to seize those assets in 2020 because I determined at that point that there was enough information that potential criminal acts have occurred there. The assets should have been seized, and I continue to take that position today.”

— Hector Balderas, Former New Mexico Attorney General (Albuquerque Journal)

What’s next

The New Mexico Attorney General's Office has reopened its criminal inquiry into Epstein's Zorro Ranch, and a newly formed legislative truth commission is armed with subpoena power to investigate further.

The takeaway

The handling of the New Mexico investigation into Epstein's Zorro Ranch raises serious questions about the actions of the Trump-era Department of Justice and its commitment to pursuing justice for Epstein's victims. The reckoning for this is only just beginning.