Epstein’s New Mexico ranch purchased by family of ‘Trump Republican’ candidate

By Berk Kutay Gokmen

ISTANBUL (AA) - Jeffrey Epstein’s New Mexico ranch, where he sexually abused girls and women, has been purchased by the family members of a self-described “Trump Republican” currently campaigning for office in Texas.

A spokesperson for Donald Huffines -- a Texas entrepreneur and former Republican state senator currently running for comptroller -- confirmed the acquisition to the Santa Fe New Mexican.

“Four years after Mr Epstein’s death, the Huffines family purchased property in New Mexico listed at public auction whose proceeds benefited his victims,” a spokesperson for the family, Allen Blakemore, wrote to the outlet. “Prior to the auction listing, they had never visited the property.”

In 2023, San Rafael Ranch LLC, an entity established by the Huffines family, purchased the nearly 10,000-acre (4,000-hectare) estate -- formerly called Zorro Ranch -- for an undisclosed sum. The buyers’ identities had previously remained private, as New Mexico law permits anonymous property ownership through LLCs.

The ranch was first valued at $21.1m for the 2023 tax year, a figure the Huffines argued was overstated in part due to its “notoriety.” Santa Fe County then reassessed the value of the property to just $13.4m, according to The Guardian.

According to Axios, New Mexico lawmakers launched an investigation into former Zorro Ranch Tuesday over allegations that Epstein trafficked and sexually abused girls and women at the property.

The US Justice Department recently released more than 3 million pages, 2,000 videos, and 180,000 images under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed into law last November.

The materials include photos, grand jury transcripts, and investigative records, though many pages remain heavily redacted. Epstein survivors and victims’ relatives say the release falls short of what the law requires and omits much vital information.

Epstein was found dead by suicide in a New York City jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges involving underage girls.