New Mexico reopens criminal inquiry into Jeffrey Epstein's Zorro Ranch
There are thousands of references to the ranch, located south of Santa Fe, in the millions of documents released in late January by the US justice department.It boasts a 21,000sq ft mansion on a hilltop overlooking nearly 10,000 acres (4,000 hectares) of desert. Nearby was a private airstrip and helipad.Epstein bought the property in 1993 from former New Mexico Governor Bruce King.According to Reuters, he leased around 1,250 acres of state lands around the ranch that same year.But the New Mexico State Land Commission cancelled the leases in September 2019 after the office determined that Epstein had used the tract as a privacy buffer - not for ranching or agriculture.Zorro Ranch is now owned by former Texas state Senator Don Huffines, who purchased the property from the Epstein estate in 2023. He pledged proceeds from the sale to the late sex-trafficker's victims.
