Context:

New Mexico’s attorney general widened a reopened probe into alleged abuses at Jeffrey Epstein’s Zorro Ranch by ordering preservation of records from more than two dozen major companies, including JPMorgan Chase, Google, and airlines, as investigators seek evidence from Epstein, his former assistant Lesley Groff, and associate Ghislaine Maxwell. The state intends to subpoena and collect materials related to finances, travel, and communications, while pursuing testimony from survivors and others with information about activities at the 8,000-acre ranch. The move signals a significant escalation tied to federal investigations, with NM officials aiming to supplement federal records and expand potential leads. Officials stress the scope is limited to conduct in New Mexico, and additional preservation requests are planned. A parallel state truth commission is also issuing subpoenas as part of its broader Epstein review.

Dive Deeper:

• Preservation letters were sent to more than two dozen entities, directing them to retain records that could be relevant to Epstein, Groff, Maxwell, and related communications, with the aim of preparing for subpoenas.

• Recipients include JPMorgan Chase, Deutsche Bank, American Express, PayPal, major airlines, Expedia, AT&T, Verizon, Google, WhatsApp, and Yahoo, reflecting a wide net over finances, travel, and technology platforms.

• The letters indicate records may already have been provided to the FBI or DOJ in federal Epstein investigations, suggesting coordination or avoidance of lost evidence.

• Attorney General Raúl Torrez framed the reopening as a careful, survivor-centered effort to pursue accountability and gather additional testimony related to abuse or illegal activity at Zorro Ranch.

• Investigators plan to seek records connected to Epstein’s estate co-executors, Darren Indyke and Richard Kahn, who have denied wrongdoing, signaling broader scope for future preservation.

• The NM probe runs alongside a separate state legislative truth commission issuing subpoenas, while NM’s jurisdiction remains limited to activities within New Mexico and does not cover Epstein properties outside the state.