New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez says the Trump administration is obstructing the New Mexico Epstein investigation by refusing to provide unrestricted access to federal evidence. The Justice Department disputes that account, setting up a legal fight over investigative authority, victim privacy and records that remain covered by court orders.
Speaking to Jakson on TMZ In The Know, Torrez accused President Donald Trump and Attorney General Todd Blanche of stonewalling the state’s effort to examine crimes allegedly connected to Jeffrey Epstein’s Zorro Ranch.
Torrez said New Mexico submitted a Touhy request on May 3 seeking unredacted federal material that could help identify victims, witnesses and additional conduct. Such requests are used to obtain testimony or records from federal agencies.
According to the New Mexico Department of Justice, federal prosecutors asked the state to pause its inquiry in 2019 but never supplied information they had promised. State authorities reopened the investigation in February 2026 and conducted what they described as the first law-enforcement search of the ranch.
Why the Justice Department rejects the accusation
Torrez sued the Justice Department in August, arguing that federal officials were blocking access to evidence. That case remains pending, with no ruling reported.
The Justice Department called his description “false.” It said unrestricted disclosure could violate federal law, protections for victims and New York court orders governing unredacted records. Blanche has said the department is “continuing to work with” New Mexico, while U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton has also pointed to protective orders restricting what can be released.
That leaves the two sides describing the same process in sharply different terms. New Mexico says cooperation has produced no meaningful access. Federal officials say they cannot simply hand over protected files because another prosecutor asks for them, even when the request comes with official stationery.
Torrez said the state will continue pursuing the records in court and take every available step to establish what happened at the property.
Estate managers face a separate civil case
On Wednesday, New Mexico filed a civil complaint against Epstein’s former attorney, Darren Indyke, and former accountant, Richard Kahn. The state accuses them of helping finance and conceal alleged trafficking and abuse connected to Zorro Ranch.
The complaint alleges more than $3 million in unexplained payments to girls and women between 2003 and 2013. It also says Epstein-related entities paid Indyke more than $16 million and Kahn more than $10 million from 2011 through 2019.
Epstein’s estate is valued at more than $107 million. Under its terms, Indyke could receive a $50 million bequest and Kahn could receive $25 million. The pair previously agreed, without admitting wrongdoing, to an accusers’ settlement worth up to $35 million.
“None of this could be done by just one man,” Torrez said.
Attorney Dan Weiner said Indyke and Kahn “emphatically reject” New Mexico’s allegations. He said state investigators never asked to interview them and that both men would have cooperated. Weiner also argued that no woman has accused either man of committing abuse, witnessing it or being told about it.
Survivors have welcomed the broader effort to examine who may have enabled Epstein. Accuser Anouska De Georgiou said survivors can “demand answers,” while Julia Molchanova said accountability should not end with Epstein.
The civil allegations against Indyke and Kahn have not been proven. The dispute over federal records is also unresolved, leaving New Mexico to pursue two connected battles: one over what happened at Zorro Ranch, and another over who is legally allowed to see the evidence.
