Jeffrey Epstein and a girl whose face is redacted fly over New Mexico, in an undated photo contained in a series of pictures from a trip to the state found in U.S. Department of Justice files.
With a multimillion-dollar budget and a mandate to investigate the late Jeffrey Epstein’s activities in the state, the New Mexico Legislature’s “truth commission” is moving into its next phase: hiring the legal and investigative team to lead the probe.
The deadline for attorneys and investigators to apply to assist the commission was Thursday, and applications are slated to be evaluated throughout next week. The staff selection will be publicly announced on or after April 10, according to the request for proposals.
A spokesperson for the commission did not answer a question about how many applications were received.
Once contractors are hired, the bipartisan legislative panel will be able to begin its work, which has garnered national and international attention since it was approved by the state House of Representatives earlier this year.
The team will evaluate whether law enforcement “appropriately investigated prior allegations of criminal activity at the ranch,” along with examining potential gaps in New Mexico’s statute of limitations for childhood sexual assault survivors and assessing “whether reforms to the state’s sex offender registry laws are warranted,” according to a news release this week.
Epstein owned Zorro Ranch in South Santa Fe County from 1993 until his death in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019. Unlike several of his other properties, it was never thoroughly investigated by federal law enforcement or raided.
The investigative subcommittee, which has become known as the Epstein “truth commission,” is on a tight deadline. It is tasked with submitting an initial report by the end of July and a final report by the end of the year under the resolution passed by the House of Representatives.
The commission is chaired by Rep. Andrea Romero, D-Santa Fe; the other members are Rep. Marianna Anaya, Rep. Andrea Reeb, R-Clovis, and Rep. William Hall, R-Aztec.
Hall noted the logistical hurdles ona recent episodeofThe New Mexican’sAround the Roundhousepodcast, stating the group has been “just trying to get ourselves organized” before they can determine whether they can complete the investigation this year.
To continue the investigation next year, the commission would need approval from the Legislature, Romero has said.
The group will have the power to compel attendance of witnesses, issue subpoenas and conduct hearings. The commission will also “explore potential compensation for victims using funds seized from Epstein’s accounts,” the news release states.
