yahoo news | As New Mexico investigates, questions are raised about Epstein's links to the... by undefined
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yahoo news | As New Mexico investigates, questions are raised about Epstein's links to the... by undefined
As police search Jeffrey Epstein’s former New Mexico hideaway, Zorro Ranch, investigators are probing how the financier’s ties to powerful state Democrats may have enabled alleged abuse at the property. The ranch, an Old‑West‑themed estate that Epstein visited for about two months each year, is being examined by a New Mexico “truth commission” – the first of its kind in the country – to determine whether the state’s political establishment facilitated his sex‑trafficking network that spanned the U.S. Virgin Islands, New York and Florida.
Epstein contributed just over $160,000 to New Mexico campaigns between 2002 and 2014, often becoming the largest outside donor even after his 2008 conviction. Among those linked to him were former Governor Bill Richardson and former attorney general Gary King, both of whom met with Epstein after his felony sex‑crime convictions. King’s campaign returned a 2014 donation, and he later said he never visited the ranch or solicited contributions after the 2013 Florida conviction. Congressman Teresa Leger Fernandez condemned continued acceptance of Epstein’s money, and she has questioned why local, state and federal authorities never investigated complaints of sexual abuse at the ranch despite a 2019 federal directive to drop a child‑trafficking probe.
The 7,500‑acre property was bought in 1993 for roughly $3.75 million from the family of three‑times Governor Bruce King, with the younger King later acknowledging the sale. The estate became locally known as the “Victoria’s Secret Ranch,” a place where Epstein allegedly entertained models, scientists, politicians and celebrities. Federal agents visited the ranch in 2007 to question staff about “masseuses” brought in by Epstein, yet state law‑enforcement officials say they were never informed of any federal probe. New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez reopened the state investigation in February, while the U.S. Department of Justice and FBI declined to comment.
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