New Mexico’s Attorney General Raúl Torrez filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime attorney Darren Indyke and accountant Richard Kahn, accusing them of concealing the financier’s sex trafficking operation at his Zorro Ranch near Santa Fe. The suit aims to prevent Indyke and Kahn from accessing any funds from Epstein’s estate, which is valued at over $100 million. Both men serve as coexecutors of the estate and, according to Torrez, stand to benefit significantly unless a federal judge intervenes.
Indyke, who was Epstein’s lawyer for approximately two decades, and Kahn have previously testified before Congress that they were unaware of Epstein’s abuse. However, Torrez challenged that narrative, stating that Epstein’s crimes required a network of accomplices—including legal and financial professionals—to facilitate and conceal them. At a news conference, Torrez said, “None of this could be done by just one man,” and emphasized the need for accountability among those who may have played enabling roles. He further asserted that the estate’s funds should be directed to survivors of Epstein’s abuse.
An attorney representing Indyke and Kahn strongly denied the allegations, saying the pair rejected the claims and criticizing the state for filing the lawsuit without first seeking interviews with them. Their lawyer noted that no accuser has ever alleged that either Indyke or Kahn committed or witnessed sexual abuse or was informed of such abuse by victims. Efforts to reach the men directly for comment were unsuccessful.
Jeffrey Epstein, who owned the Zorro Ranch in Stanley, New Mexico, died by suicide in a federal jail in New York City in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. His former associate Ghislaine Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence following her 2021 conviction on related sex trafficking charges. Testimony during Maxwell’s trial included allegations that she and Epstein sexually abused women at the New Mexico property.
Epstein’s Zorro Ranch, purchased in 1993, spans a remote area about 30 miles south of Santa Fe. The compound features a large mansion, extensive grounds, and its own airstrip and helipad. While Epstein never faced criminal charges in New Mexico, the state’s attorney general’s office announced an investigation into the ranch following Epstein’s arrest, citing outdated state laws that limited prosecution of such crimes. The prior attorney general, Hector Balderas, said at the time that these laws failed to adequately protect children.
Torrez reopened the investigation into Epstein’s activities in New Mexico earlier this year. In August, he filed a suit against the U.S. Justice Department, accusing it of obstructing the state’s efforts to investigate alleged sex crimes at the ranch by withholding information necessary for the probe on grounds of protecting victim identities.
Also in August, a state-established commission released a report criticizing local authorities for deferring investigations for years to federal and out-of-state agencies, such as those in New York, Palm Beach, Florida, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The commission found that this resulted in little to no examination or prosecution of Epstein’s alleged offenses within New Mexico. The report highlighted systemic failures that allowed Epstein’s abuse to go unpunished in the state.