Justice Department Denies New Mexico Request for Unredacted Epstein Records

New Mexico contends that the unredacted records are essential to its investigation of alleged abuse at Epstein’s ranch.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has declined to provide the state of New Mexico with unredacted files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, citing legal constraints.

In a social‑media statement released on Wednesday, the DOJ explained that releasing the documents would violate existing statutes, court orders, and victim privacy protections.

The post was issued amid pressure from New Mexico’s Department of Justice, led by Attorney General Raúl Torrez, who has accused the federal administration of obstructing the state’s probe byDigits refusing to disclose critical records.

The DOJ countered that the request fell outside its jurisdiction and reiterated its commitment to adhere to federal law and court orders, warning that compliance would constitute a breach of those directives.

Since the second Trump administration began in 2025, the Epstein matter has remained a focal point of criticism. Critics argue that the administration has not lived up to its pledge for transparency and may be shielding powerful individuals named in the files.

Trump, a former associate of Epstein, has denied any knowledge of the crimes. Epstein is alleged to have operated a sex‑trafficking network that affected hundreds of victims.

In 2019, during Trump’s first term, federal prosecutors urged New Mexico to halt its investigation to allow the federal case to proceed. Epstein died in custody that year, a death ruled a suicide.

Following the release of millions of records under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, New Mexico reopened its investigation in February.

In a recent letter, Torrez said his office has spent over five months seeking the unredacted federal records needed to advance the inquiry, but remains without the full file set. He characterized the DOJ’s stance as a “deliberate choice not to cooperate.”

“Every day the DOJ withholds these records, the case that could be brought on behalf of New Mexico survivors becomes more difficult to make,” Torrez wrote. “Witnesses relocate and become unreachable, memories already strained by years of trauma and silence continue to fade, physical and documentary evidence degrades or is lost.”

New Mexico is investigating allegations that women and girls were trafficked to Epstein’s Zorro Ranch, a sprawling property he owned south of Santa Fe from 1993 until his death.

Documents released by the DOJ in January included an unverified tip about videos of sexual abuse and the alleged burial of two foreign girls on the ranch.

Survivors, including the late Virginia Giuffre, have alleged sexual assault and other crimes that allegedly took place at the ranch. State officials say those accusations have never been fully pursued.

The dispute comes as scrutiny intensifies over the Trump administration’s compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which mandated that the DOJ publish its Epstein‑related records within 30 days with limited redactions to protect victims.

Millions of files were eventually released, many heavily redacted, but some victimiosa exposed their identities.

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