Crime09 July, 20263 min read
New Mexico Truth Commission Issues 14 Subpoenas in Jeffrey Epstein Zorro Ranch Investigation
The truth commission issued 14 subpoenas to state, federal agencies, banks, and other institutions. Subpoenas were announced at the commission's inaugural public meeting in Santa Fe, with victims testifying.
Subpoenas for Zorro Ranch
New Mexico lawmakers launched the Epstein “Truth Commission” at an inaugural meeting on Monday, issuing 14 subpoenas as part of a formal investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s Zorro Ranch and its potential use for criminal activity, human trafficking, and sexual abuse.
“The commission left Monday's meeting with 14 subpoenas.”
The commission’s first major step is demanding documents from federal agencies that investigated Epstein in the past, including the U.S. Justice Department and FBI, as well as state and local law enforcement agencies that looked into Epstein.
NBC News reported the committee expects to send subpoenas this week to 14 targets, including Epstein’s former banks Deutsche Bank and JPMorgan Chase and the Santa Fe Institute, a nonprofit scientific research institution that Epstein supported.
The commission is also working with the New Mexico Department of Justice, which reopened a criminal investigation shut down in 2019 at the request of federal prosecutors in New York, and it is seeking Epstein records from federal authorities.
Scripps News said the commission left Monday’s meeting with 14 subpoenas, with the subpoenas targeting the Epstein Estate as well as banks and other entities tied to Epstein or related investigations.
Survivors urge accountability
At the New Mexico State Capitol meeting, Republican state Rep. Andrea Reeb said the commission’s goal is to “build a complete documented public record,” and she added, “We will name what happened, we will name who was responsible, and we will do so with the evidentiary regard that survivors deserve and that the law requires.”
Scripps News reported that the only known Epstein survivor living in New Mexico, identified only as Rachel, spoke about her experiences at the meeting, and it also said lawmakers heard from the family of the late Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who died by suicide in April of last year.
Albuquerque Journal described Rachel Benavidez telling lawmakers, “I am here again today in 2026, as a 52-year-old woman, speaking out and trying to find truth and justice, and still no answers.”
The panel’s approach drew a direct plea from Giuffre’s brother, Sky Roberts, who told New Mexico lawmakers, “This state can either repeat the failure we have already witnessed across institutions and protect power over people, or New Mexico can lead.”
Albuquerque Journal also said the four House members told the hearing that any criminal prosecutions will be pursued by the New Mexico Department of Justice, and that the commission would publicly identify wrongdoers by name once the panel and their attorneys had established legal culpability.
Deadlines and what’s at risk
The commission faces a deadline of July 31 to produce an interim report, with a final report scheduled for later this year, and Scripps News said state Rep. Andrea Reeb noted there is a possibility they will need more resources before a final report can be completed.
Source New Mexico reported the bipartisan House investigatory subcommittee was created earlier this year and given a $2 million budget from settlement funds with Epstein’s banks, and it said the commission plans to release an initial report on its findings in July and a full investigative report around the end of the year.
CNN said the panel plans on physically surveying the ranch, speaking with survivors and coordinating with local and federal law enforcement, as well as US Congress, culminating with a final report on its findings.
NBC News reported that at least 10 women have alleged that Epstein groomed or abused them at the 10,000-acre ranch starting in the mid-1990s, and it said half were teenagers when they said Epstein harmed them.
The stakes are framed by survivors and lawmakers as accountability for what happened in New Mexico, with CNN quoting Epstein survivor Rachel Benavidez saying, “We deserve answers, we deserve the truth, we deserve transparency, justice and accountability,” and Telemundo reporting New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez told NBC News, “We will do everything possible to get to the bottom of what happened there, follow every lead, no matter how uncomfortable it is or how long it takes, and most importantly, we must center the voices of the victims in this process.”