[GRADE A1 — NM AG records, DOJ records; GRADE B — NM Political Report, news reporting]
In 2019, the FBI obtained search warrants and executed raids on Epstein's Manhattan townhouse (9 East 71st Street) and Little Saint James Island. The FBI did not search Zorro Ranch. Rep. Melanie Stansbury confirmed in February 2026 that the FBI "never conducted full forensic investigation of the ranch property despite evidence of crimes." New Mexico state officials stated they were unaware of any federal search of the property.
New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas opened an investigation into Zorro Ranch activities in July 2019 following Epstein's arrest. The Southern District of New York (SDNY) then asked New Mexico to halt its investigation, and the state complied. After Epstein's death in August 2019, the AG's office assessed its options.
Chief Deputy Attorney General Clara Moran determined that all documented conduct at Zorro Ranch predated 2008, when New Mexico enacted its human-trafficking statute. This created an insurmountable temporal gap: the criminal behavior alleged by victims occurred before the legal framework existed to prosecute it under state trafficking law. The investigation was closed without charges.
Bruce King — who sold the ranch to Epstein in 1993 — was the father of Gary King, who served as New Mexico Attorney General from 2007 to 2015. Gary King held the state's top law enforcement position during the period when Epstein was a registered sex offender operating out of a property sold by King's own family. No recusal or conflict-of-interest disclosure has been publicly documented. [v1.3] The DOJ corpus adds a financial dimension: EFTA01713378 (Santa Fe New Mexican, August 16, 2006) documents a $15,000 donation from Epstein to "attorney general candidate Gary King." When asked about the donation, King responded: "I don't think I've ever met him personally. He knows other members of my family better" — acknowledging the family connection while distancing himself from personal contact. King stated he planned to "return the $15,000 to Epstein" to "avoid any appearance of impropriety."
Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard took concrete action in 2019: she terminated two state trust land leases held by Cypress Inc. near the ranch (leases in place since 1993) and proactively provided the New Mexico DOJ with lease records. In February 2026, Garcia Richard formally requested federal and state investigation of the burial allegations. Chief Deputy Attorney General James Grayson characterized the allegations as appearing "unsubstantiated" from an "anonymous source."
The investigative failure at Zorro Ranch resulted from a convergence of jurisdictional gaps: the FBI chose not to search the property; SDNY asked the state to halt its investigation; and New Mexico's human-trafficking statute did not cover pre-2008 conduct. Each individual decision may have been legally defensible; their combined effect was that a property where a victim testified under oath about sexual abuse was never forensically examined.
WHAT THIS SHOWS AND DOES NOT SHOW: Records establish that the FBI searched Epstein's Manhattan and Virgin Islands properties but not Zorro Ranch. The NM AG investigation was halted at SDNY's request and closed due to the pre-2008 statute gap. The record does NOT establish that the FBI's non-search was motivated by a desire to conceal evidence — investigative prioritization decisions are made for many reasons. The Gary King connection is documented but does not establish any interference with investigation. The statute gap is a legislative fact, not evidence of prosecutorial bad faith.