New Mexico lawsuit claims ‘in exchange for furthering Epstein’s criminal project, his associates received generous salaries’
The attorney general of New Mexico on Wednesday filed a civil lawsuit against Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime attorney, Darren Indyke, and Epstein’s longtime accountant, Richard Kahn, accusing them of having “facilitated and concealed” Epstein’s crimes, and is seeking to stop them from being paid by Epstein’s estate while the litigation plays out.
Thelawsuit, filed in the US district court for the district of New Mexico, names Kahn and Indyke as defendants both in their individual capacity, and in their capacity as co-executors of Epstein’s estate. The complaint also names Epstein’s estate, and the 1953 Trust, which holds the estate’s assets.
“Epstein, with the help of his associates, trafficked, isolated, and abused survivors at alluring locations” including at Epstein’s ranch in Stanley,New Mexico, known as Zorro Ranch, the complaint claims. It goes on to allege that “in exchange for furthering Epstein’s criminal project and remaining silent about it, his associates received generous salaries, access to elite social circles, and lavish gifts, including being named beneficiaries of his multimillion-dollar estate”.
In a statement on Wednesday, an attorney for Indyke shared a statement on behalf of both Indyke and Kahn saying that they “emphatically reject the New Mexico Attorney General’s allegations that they were complicit in or in any way knowingly facilitated Mr Epstein’s sexual abuse or trafficking – conduct that by all accounts occurred behind closed doors, in secluded locations, and at times when neither Mr Indyke nor Mr Kahn was present.
“Not a single woman has ever accused Mr Indyke or Mr Kahn of committing sexual abuse or witnessing sexual abuse, nor claimed at any time that she or anyone else reported to them any allegation of Mr Epstein’s abuse,” the statement added. “The New Mexico Attorney General’s complaint does not allege anything to the contrary.”
The statement goes on to say that “neither the New Mexico Attorney General nor anyone from his office asked to speak with Mr Indyke or Mr Kahn to seek relevant information from them before filing this baseless lawsuit, raising serious questions about the thoroughness of the Attorney General’s investigation and the motivations for his lawsuit”.
Earlier this year, Kahn and Indyke told the US House committee investigating Epstein that they hadno knowledgeof Epstein’s crimes during their employment.
Among the demands the lawsuit seeks is a court order preventing Indyke and Kahn from receiving estate payments while the case proceeds.
The complaint alleges that both men profited personally from their relationships with Epstein. It alleges that from 2011 to 2019, Indyke received more than $16m from Epstein and related entities and that Kahn received more than $10m.
In a statement on Wednesday, Raúl Torrez, New Mexico’s attorney general, said that Epstein “did not operate alone, and his death does not end the pursuit of accountability for the people who helped make his crimes possible”.
“The allegations in this lawsuit describe a network of people and financial arrangements that helped sustain and conceal the abuse of vulnerable girls and young women, including here in New Mexico,” he said. “Those who allegedly enabled this exploitation should not be allowed to profit from it while survivors continue to live with its consequences.”
In the complaint, Torrez wrote that “through this action, the State seeks to hold these individuals accountable to the fullest extent possible and to ensure that Epstein’s assets are distributed to the survivors of his horrific crimes”.
Several survivors of Epstein’s abuse signed a letter on Wednesday in support of Torrez’s lawsuit “because it can expose what roles Indyke and Kahn played in Epstein’s operation, examine how they handled survivors’ claims, and prevent Epstein’s trusted loyalists from being rewarded for their roles in Epstein’s organization”.
“Survivors deserve accountability and answers under oath. Epstein’s chosen confidants should not get the last word – or the money,” they added.
