The Zorro Ranch, about 40 miles south of Santa Fe, is one of several multimillion-dollar estates that Jeffrey Epstein owned./Dronebase/Reuters
State’s land commissioner looks at revoking leases granted to late sex offender.
Information from The Wall Street Journal
The state’s commissioner of public lands is trying to wrest control of big chunks of Jeffrey Epstein’s sprawling New Mexico ranch after her attempts to visit the land were rebuffed.
The Zorro Ranch, located about 40 miles south of Santa Fe, is one of several multimillion-dollar estates owned by Mr. Epstein, who killed himself while in prison earlier this month while awaiting charges of sex trafficking.
New Mexico’s commissioner of public lands, Stephanie Garcia Richard, drove to the ranch Tuesday with colleagues and tried to enter, but the gate remained locked despite calls from the phone outside the gate. At least one person and at least two vehicles were visible inside the gate.
“It is heart-wrenching to know that state trust land was part of a broader scheme to cause harm to individuals.” Ms. Garcia said. “So we want to do everything we can to make sure that our office is ready and available and helpful in bringing these folks to justice.”
The nearly-10,000-acre property is a patchwork of private and state-owned land that is leased under the 1993 purchase agreement for the property. The ranch has several large buildings, an airstrip and a vintage railcar.
