Transparency
New Mexico sued the DOJ over blocked access to unredacted Epstein files for its Zorro Ranch probe
Confidence: Confirmed · 4 sourcesUnited States · Sep 21, 2026
Subject of this story
U.S. Department of Justice
Todd Blanche, U.S. Attorney General
Also named
Oversight
New Mexico Department of Justice
What happened
New Mexico's Attorney General reopened the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein's Zorro Ranch and, per the New Mexico DOJ's press release, sued the US Department of Justice and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in August 2026 after it refused to share unredacted investigative files needed for the probe, citing victim-privacy law. New Mexico investigators had requested the files in February 2026. Separately, a claim that two girls were killed and buried on the ranch's grounds originated as an unverified 2019 tip relayed to a radio host; independent reporting describes its validity and source as unknown.
Sources (4)
SourceOfficial government statement/primary document confirming the lawsuit, the DOJ's refusal, and the investigation's status.
Al JazeeraIndependent confirmation of the lawsuit and DOJ's privacy-law justification for refusing unredacted files; also reports the buried-girls claim as an uncorroborated 2019 tip of unknown validity.
CNNIndependently confirms the investigation and explicitly states the 'two foreign girls buried' claim is an unverified allegation from a 2019 email whose source and validity are unknown.
NBC NewsIndependent confirmation of the lawsuit against Acting AG Todd Blanche and DOJ.
Response
U.S. Department of Justice
Statement given
Contacted and responded — exact wording not on record.
Todd Blanche
Not yet contacted
Not yet contacted for this story.
What happened next (0)
No outcome recorded yet.