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Former New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas is offering to assist two ongoing state investigations into Jeffrey Epstein, marking his first official involvement in the matter since leaving office in 2022, he exclusively tells Scripps News.
Balderas, who launched New Mexico’s investigation into Epstein in 2019, says federal authorities effectively shut his office out after he began pursuing evidence related to allegations connected to Epstein’s Zorro Ranch in New Mexico. Epstein, a convicted sex offender, owned the sprawling Zorro Ranch near Stanley, New Mexico, where multiple women have alleged they were abused as young girls and women.
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In letters sent Monday evening, Balderas reached out to current New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez and the chairwoman of the state’s Truth Commission, the state legislature’s committee examining how state and local officials handled matters related to Epstein’s property and activities in New Mexico.
Balderas’ decision to publicly offer assistance adds a new dimension to the state’s ongoing efforts to determine whether additional records could shed light on Epstein’s activities in New Mexico and the extent of communication between state and federal authorities during the investigation.
The former attorney general provided a detailed timeline of his office’s investigation, including communications with attorney Brad Edwards, who represents numerous Epstein survivors. According to Balderas, Edwards connected his office with two alleged victims for interviews.
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Balderas said his office was only able to interview one survivor on July 2, 2019, before federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York intervened.
“Based on the statements we obtained from [victim], we began to formulate a charging theory of criminal sexual penetration in the first degree against Jeffrey Epstein,” Balderas wrote in his correspondence.
The letter to the attorney general also includes a handwritten note from federal authorities indicating they would share information with Balderas’ team. Scripps News reporting found the Department of Justice ignored Balderas’ team as it continually reached out to assist in the investigation. The SDNY never shared information with Balderas’ team.
“We put survivors first by backing the DOJ’s human trafficking prosecution, trusting them to honor their word to share records once their case closed,” Balderas told Scripps News in an exclusive statement. “Instead, they went dark. It is deeply frustrating to see federal officials obstruct the New Mexico Attorney General by withholding the very evidence he needs to fight for justice.”
The revelations come as New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez continues his efforts to obtain federal records related to Epstein. Torrez, who reopened the state investigation, has repeatedly requested documents from the Department of Justice.
Last week, Torrez threatened legal action if the DOJ does not comply with requests for specific unredacted files.
In a statement provided to the Scripps News Group, Torrez says:
"Former Attorney General Balderas has confirmed what we already know to be true – the federal government has repeatedly failed to honor its commitment to share information. That is unacceptable. If DOJ will not honor its commitment voluntarily, we are prepared to enforce it so we can do what New Mexicans expect of us – follow the facts, protect victims, and hold anyone who broke our laws accountable."
