SANTA FE, N.M. — The New Mexico House of Representatives unanimously approved a resolution Monday at the state Capitol launching a sweeping probe of Jeffrey Epstein’s Zorro Ranch and allegations of criminal activity and public corruption tied to the secluded property. Sponsors said the truth commission will use subpoena power to take testimony from survivors and local residents and recommend changes to state law meant to prevent trafficking and restore confidence in state government, Feb. 16, 2026.
The measure, House Resolution 1, creates a four-member special committee with two Democrats and two Republicans and gives it authority to compel witnesses and documents. Zorro Ranch is near Stanley, N.M., about 35 miles south of Santa Fe. Because it is a House resolution, it does not require Senate approval or the governor’s signature.
House Speaker Javier Martínez, D-Albuquerque, appointed the four sponsors to serve on the panel: Rep. Andrea Romero, D-Santa Fe; Rep. Marianna Anaya, D-Albuquerque; Rep. Andrea Reeb, R-Clovis; and Rep. William “Bill” Hall, R-Aztec. Reeb is a former prosecutor, while Hall is a retired FBI agent.
The committee is expected to begin taking public testimony Tuesday and continue working through the end of the year. The Albuquerque Journal reported the first hearing is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. at the Roundhouse, with the meeting webcast and an interim update required by July 31, 2026. Romero has said the committee plans to post information it gathers publicly as it works.
What House Resolution 1 means for Zorro Ranch
Under the resolution, the House panel can hold hearings, administer oaths and issue subpoenas, and it can keep operating after the regular legislative session ends. The committee must produce a final report by Dec. 31, 2026, that lays out its investigative steps, findings and recommendations for legislation or other action.
Lawmakers described the work as both fact-finding and forward-looking: building an official record of what happened at Zorro Ranch and identifying gaps in New Mexico law that may have helped Epstein operate in the state for decades.
Membership: Two members from the House majority party and two from the minority party.
Powers: Hearings, subpoenas and sworn testimony.
Deadlines: Interim report by July 31, 2026; final report by Dec. 31, 2026.
Purpose: Determine whether legislation is needed to prevent and punish crime, protect vulnerable people, and strengthen public accountability connected to Zorro Ranch.
Why New Mexico lawmakers say Zorro Ranch needs answers now
Epstein owned the high-desert property for years, and multiple civil lawsuits and public accounts have alleged that girls and young women were trafficked to, or abused at, Zorro Ranch. Epstein was a convicted sex offender in Florida and died in 2019 in a New York jail while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
Romero told Reuters that survivors and advocates have long argued that Zorro Ranch received far less law-enforcement scrutiny than Epstein’s properties elsewhere. “He was basically doing anything he wanted in this state without any accountability whatsoever,” she said, adding that testimony gathered by the committee could be used for future prosecutions.
State officials have opened and closed investigations before. Former Attorney General Hector Balderas launched a criminal probe in 2019, but it closed without charges, and lawmakers say the public still lacks an official record of what occurred at Zorro Ranch. This session, a separate proposal to extend the deadline for victims of child sexual abuse to file lawsuits did not clear a House committee, highlighting how legal barriers can limit accountability years later.
Victims’ attorney Sigrid McCawley said the New Mexico cases are often overlooked in conversations about Epstein’s network. “Many of the survivors had experiences in New Mexico,” she said, and she urged lawmakers to document what happened at Zorro Ranch and what public officials may have known.
In recent weeks, interest in Zorro Ranch has spiked after the U.S. Department of Justice released millions of Epstein-related documents. State Rep. Melanie Stansbury said in a video posted after the House vote that the commission will “help to bring forward a full picture of what happened here in New Mexico,” according to Al Jazeera.
Questions have also swirled around who controls access to Zorro Ranch today. The property was sold in 2023 to a company tied to the family of Don Huffines, a Texas comptroller candidate, and a campaign spokesperson said the owners would cooperate if authorities seek to search the ranch, according to The Texas Tribune.
Zorro Ranch scrutiny has built for years
The House vote comes after a long paper trail of public concern and intermittent official action related to Zorro Ranch. Epstein’s estate put the property on the market in 2021 with an initial asking price of $27.5 million, with the listing highlighting a massive home, airstrip and other structures, as described by Realtor.com.
Two years later, an attorney for Epstein’s estate confirmed that Zorro Ranch had been sold for an undisclosed price to a newly registered company, with proceeds used to administer the estate and pay creditors, according to an Associated Press report published by NBC New York.
By late 2025, New Mexico lawmakers were already moving toward a state-level inquiry, arguing that the lack of a complete record about Zorro Ranch made it harder to craft laws aimed at preventing trafficking and abuse. A November 2025 story by The Associated Press described early plans for a truth commission and the political debate over whether the state was prepared to reopen questions linked to Epstein’s time in New Mexico.
What happens next for the Zorro Ranch probe
Supporters say the committee’s immediate work will be to gather testimony, review public records and coordinate with law enforcement officials who may pursue criminal investigations outside the Legislature. The panel is not a prosecutorial body, but lawmakers say it can pressure agencies to explain decisions and expose gaps that lawmakers can close.
Sponsors say potential recommendations could range from changes in how the state responds to sexual-abuse allegations to oversight of public resources tied to Zorro Ranch. Lawmakers have also pointed to gaps in the state’s civil timelines and sex-offender registration rules as areas that could be revisited as the committee builds its record.
With an interim report due by late July and a final report due by the end of the year, the committee’s schedule sets up months of hearings that could bring new details about Zorro Ranch into public view — and renewed pressure on politicians, institutions and individuals who crossed paths with Epstein in New Mexico.
