As renewed attention focuses on the breadth of Jeffrey Epstein's operations ahead of the expected release of additional investigative records, lawmakers in New Mexico are pressing for a formal inquiry into the financier's vast Zorro Ranch near Santa Fe, arguing that the property may have been used for the same criminal purposes as his notorious Caribbean island. The push comes as Congress and the public revisit Epstein's network following new disclosures tied to the so-called "Epstein Files."
Two Democratic lawmakers in the state have called for the creation of a dedicated truth commission to examine activity at the high-desert estate, a 33,000-square-foot compound that has long escaped the level of scrutiny directed at Little St. James in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The ranch, located miles from major population centers, was owned by Epstein until his death in 2019 and was reportedly decorated with the help of Ghislaine Maxwell.
Santa Fe Representative Andrea Romero said the location itself may have been central to Epstein's ability to operate undetected. "We've heard from many, many different sources that New Mexico is a great place to do (sex trafficking). That's just horrifying to me," Romero said, arguing that the remoteness of the area created an environment with limited oversight.
Legal observers echo that assessment. John W. Day, a New Mexico criminal defense lawyer, told RadarOnline.com that the state's geography and low population density can allow serious crimes to go unnoticed. "This is a pretty isolated state in general. A lot of things in this state fly under the radar," Day said. "It's a low population, huge geographic area, and people tend not to think of it as one of the 50 states."
Day said the absence of public victim accounts tied specifically to the ranch should not be interpreted as evidence of innocence. "We know from firsthand victim accounts what was taking place in the Caribbean," he said. "We haven't heard the same level of victim stories about what was happening in New Mexico, but you'd have to be foolish to think that it wasn't being used for the same purposes."
He added that the size and staffing of the property suggest there are still untapped witnesses. "There had to be so much activity here that there hasn't been much attention paid to it," Day said. "There must have been people who worked on the place: staff, ranch hands, people coming and going. Was this any different from the island?"
Accounts from individuals familiar with the property describe an interior designed to project power and mystery. In 2019, Ean Royal, whose father worked as a maintenance employee and lived on the grounds, described what he saw inside the mansion. "There was some really high-end medieval stuff. There was a whole suit of armor. There was an observatory room with a telescope; it was like a little study," Royal said.
Royal also recalled architectural features that felt intentionally disorienting. "There was this huge parlor room, which almost looked like something you'd find in Sherlock Holmes," he said. "It really looked like there could've been a secret room, like if I pulled one of the books, like the shelf would move over or something."
Weapons were also prominently displayed, according to Royal. "There was this room right next to the theater room with cabinets of old guns," he said. "I'm talking Civil War guns. Really old rifles encased in some of these cabinets in a room next to a kitchen."
