New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez has filed a federal lawsuit against Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and the U.S. Department of Justice over withheld Epstein investigative files.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday, demands access to unredacted files that the DOJ has been withholding from state investigators pursuing crimes connected to Jeffrey Epstein’s Zorro Ranch property.
Zorro Ranch, located outside Santa Fe, is at the centre of an ongoing New Mexico criminal investigation into offences allegedly committed by Epstein at the site.
The complaint alleges that federal prosecutors asked New Mexico in 2019 to pause its own state investigation, promising to share relevant information once their federal inquiry concluded.
New Mexico agreed to stand down, and in doing so, gave up timely access to witnesses, victims, and other evidence that could have supported its state-level investigation.
The state acted in good faith throughout, believing federal law enforcement would honour commitments made during that agreement to cooperate and share findings.
According to the complaint, Torrez writes: “New Mexico had no reason to believe federal law enforcement would break their promise, and deviate from historical practice just to block their state counterparts from successfully investigating child sexual abuse under state law.”
Despite those assurances, the complaint alleges that the promised information was never shared with New Mexico authorities, leaving the state’s investigation materially hampered.
The lawsuit represents one of the most direct legal confrontations between a state government and the DOJ over access to Epstein-related materials gathered during federal proceedings.
Survivors and advocates have long called for greater transparency around the Epstein investigations, and this legal action places additional pressure on federal authorities to release information they have so far kept from public and state scrutiny.
The case raises significant questions about the relationship between federal and state law enforcement, and whether promises made during coordinated investigations carry any enforceable legal weight.
New Mexico’s lawsuit signals that Torrez intends to pursue accountability through the courts if the DOJ continues to withhold files the state considers essential to prosecuting crimes against victims at Zorro Ranch.