Members of the legislative truth commission, from left, Rep. Andrea Romero, D-Santa Fe; Rep. Andrea Reeb, R-Clovis; and Rep. William Hall, R-Aztec, speak to one another after the Jeffrey Epstein truth commission hearing at the state Capitol June 1.
New Mexican file photo
A legislative committee investigating Jeffrey Epstein’s activities in New Mexico has so far issued at least six subpoenas.
Known as the “truth commission,” the New Mexico House committee investigating the late sex offender’s ties to the state, where he owned the sprawling Zorro Ranch in southern Santa Fe County, earlier this month announced 14 agencies and institutions it planned to subpoena. Six have beenposted publicly so far.
The commission late Friday afternoon posted copies of subpoenas to the New Mexico attorney general, the Governor’s Office, the Department of Public Safety, the State Land Office, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office and the nonprofit Santa Fe Institute. The subpoenas, released on the truth commission’s website, are dated June 5.
At least one of the subpoenaed institutions says it has already responded.
The subpoena to the Governor’s Office asked for records related to former Gov. Bill Richardson and Epstein between 2003 and 2011, the years when Richardson was in power. The Governor’s Office told the commission it does not have responsive records, spokesperson Leah March toldThe New Mexicanby email Friday.
“We’ve already responded to the Truth Commission’s subpoena requesting information related to Bill Richardson,” March wrote. “The Governor’s Office does not have any records pertaining to Zorro Ranch or Bill Richardson’s relationship with Epstein — at the end of each administration, all records get sent to the State Archives.”
March added, “The governor stands with all victims and strongly supports the Commission’s efforts to deliver justice.”
Epstein and Richardson had ayearslong relationship, with Epstein at one point calling Richardson a “close friend,” according to U.S. Department of Justice files. Epstein donated to his political campaigns, and the pair arranged to meet at least nine times after Epstein was convicted of soliciting a minor,The New Mexicanfound earlier this year. Richardson, who died in 2023, denied wrongdoing.
The commission’s subpoena to the New Mexico Department of Justice requested the office’s investigative files about Zorro Ranch, along with files related to the state’s settlements with Epstein’s banks, files sent to New York-based prosecutors and more. (The New Mexico Department of Justice briefly opened an investigation into the ranch but stood down in 2019 at the request of federal prosecutors with the Southern District of New York.)
Lauren Rodriguez, a spokesperson for the New Mexico Department of Justice, said the agency received the subpoena Monday and “is in the process of reviewing its requests.”
