Speaker 1: What's up, everyone, and welcome to another episode of the
Speaker 1: Epstein Chronicles. In this episode, we're getting right back to
Speaker 1: the New Mexico interim report on Jeffrey Epstein. Attorney General
Speaker 1: Baldaris deferred sex trafficking investigation to SDNY. Hector Baldaris was
Speaker 1: Attorney General of New Mexico between January first, twenty fifteen
Speaker 1: and January first, twenty twenty three. On September eighth, twenty nineteen,
Speaker 1: SDNY emailed the District of New Mexico describing their understanding
Speaker 1: with the New Mexico Attorney General. We spoke with the
Speaker 1: New Mexico AG's office back in July twenty nineteen. In essence,
Speaker 1: they agreed to cease any investigation into sex trafficking and
Speaker 1: share whatever they had gathered to date regarding sex trafficking
Speaker 1: activity with our office. We agreed that they were free
Speaker 1: to proceed with whatever other investigation on related to sex
Speaker 1: trafficking they may have concerning Epstein, and told them that
Speaker 1: at the conclusion of our case, we'd pass along any
Speaker 1: information we may have gathered about state crimes that were
Speaker 1: committed in their jurisdiction. We have not communicated with anyone
Speaker 1: from the New Mexico AG's office since that conversation in
Speaker 1: July of twenty nineteen. References to Alison and Maureen elsewhere
Speaker 1: in the email chain likely mean assisting US attorneys Alison
Speaker 1: Moe and Maureen Comy, publicly known to have handled the
Speaker 1: Epstein case at SDNY. Comy was fired by the Department
Speaker 1: of Justice in July of twenty twenty five. Deputy Attorney
Speaker 1: General Clara Moran wrote SDNY on September seventeenth, twenty nineteen,
Speaker 1: pursuant to our telephone conversation, this office is providing the
Speaker 1: enclosed material related to the criminal investigation and potential prosecution
Speaker 1: of Jeffrey Epstein's co conspirators. She described the enclosed material,
Speaker 1: which included police reports, recorded witness interviews, correspondents amongst New
Speaker 1: Mexico state agencies, and documents related to Epstein's leasing of
Speaker 1: New Mexico public lands. Moron further stated that all conduct
Speaker 1: described in our investigation occurred prior to two thousand and eight,
Speaker 1: the year New Mexico enacted it's human trafficking statute. She
Speaker 1: asked the SDN why contact her directly if it learned
Speaker 1: of any other criminal charges implicating New Mexico law not
Speaker 1: barred by New Mexico's statute of limitations. Finally, she stated
Speaker 1: that if further investigations reveal additional survivors of crimes occurring
Speaker 1: in New Mexico, know that this office intends to work
Speaker 1: in union with the United States Attorney for the District
Speaker 1: of New Mexico to ensure that these brave survivors have
Speaker 1: the opportunity to see the justice is achieved in a
Speaker 1: court of law. She asked to be contacted if sdnwy's
Speaker 1: investigation reveals survivors of crimes occurring in New Mexico not
Speaker 1: mentioned in the provided investigative materials. General Hector Balderis wrote
Speaker 1: John Anderson on October fifteen, twenty nineteen. He pointed out
Speaker 1: that his office has been actively investigating and assisting other
Speaker 1: state and federal agencies with their investigations related to criminality
Speaker 1: perpetrated in New Mexico by Jeffrey Epstein. He advised that
Speaker 1: they have been in communication with the Assistant United States
Speaker 1: Attorney for the Southern District of New York and have
Speaker 1: provided them with materials supportive of their federal investigation and
Speaker 1: allegations of misconduct by Epstein's possible co conspirators. He also
Speaker 1: requested that the U S Attorney's Office explore initiating the
Speaker 1: process to seaze Epstein's New Mexico landholdings for the eventual
Speaker 1: benefit of survivors of these acts and the people of
Speaker 1: the state of New Mexico. In a letter dated July eight,
Speaker 1: twenty twenty, the USAO and m clara Moron advised that
Speaker 1: the Attorney General's Office has provided investigative evidence regarding JEFFREYE.
Speaker 1: Sap Epstein's use of Zoro Ranch to assist federal prosecutors.
Speaker 1: She went on to a request that any interest belonging
Speaker 1: to Epstein's estate or co conspirators be seized by federal
Speaker 1: authorities in the belief that this ranch was used by
Speaker 1: Epstein and others to facilitate the commission and prolonged concealment
Speaker 1: of his trafficking of children, such that seizure may be
Speaker 1: pursued in conjunction with the pending criminal prosecution of Epstein's
Speaker 1: associates and co conspirators. She concluded her message by offering
Speaker 1: assistants in the effort. Former Attorney General baldaras Is stated
Speaker 1: that New Mexico provided SDNY with police reports, recorded witness testimony, correspondence,
Speaker 1: and documents related to Epstein's land leases, and received nothing
Speaker 1: in return. He described the arrangement as a one way relationship.
Speaker 1: Attorney General Torres twenty twenty six investigation of Epstein currently
Speaker 1: in progress. Roald Torres currently serves as atturn General of
Speaker 1: New Mexico and has served in that capacity for over
Speaker 1: three years since January first of twenty twenty three. On
Speaker 1: February nineteenth, twenty twenty six, Torres formerly reopened the criminal
Speaker 1: investigation into Zoro Ranch. The NMDJ statement read. Although the
Speaker 1: State of New Mexico's prior investigation was closed in twenty
Speaker 1: nineteen at the request of the U. S. Attorney's Office
Speaker 1: for the Southern District of New York, revelations outlined in
Speaker 1: the previously sealed FBI files weren't further explanation. On March
Speaker 1: ninth and tenth, twenty twenty six, NMDJ conducted the first
Speaker 1: known full property search Azoro Ranch, assisted by New Mexico
Speaker 1: State Police and Sandoval County K nine teams. FBI agents
Speaker 1: interviewed ranch manager Bryce Gordon on site in two thousand
Speaker 1: and seven, but no property search was conducted at that time,
Speaker 1: to daver dogs and ground penetrating radar were deployed. As
Speaker 1: of March twenty four, twenty twenty six, no human remains
Speaker 1: have been found. The current owners, Don and Mary Catherine Huffins,
Speaker 1: cooperated with the search abuse of state ranching and agriculture leases.
Speaker 1: The evidence shows that Epstein purchased the land comprising the
Speaker 1: Zoro Ranch in ninety three from then New Mexico Governor
Speaker 1: Bruce King. As noted in later years, Epstein made a
Speaker 1: contribution of Bruce King's son, Gary King, then the sitting
Speaker 1: New Mexico Attorney General, in support of the latter's campaign
Speaker 1: for New Mexico governor. Reportedly, this money was later returned.
Speaker 1: Records obtained from New Mexico's State Land Office indicate that
Speaker 1: part of the Lae property would be used as a
Speaker 1: landing strip for a private aircraft. Documentation filed with NMSLO
Speaker 1: has indicated that Maxwell acted as a disinterested person in
Speaker 1: appraising the Lae property. Email evidence indicates that cattle were
Speaker 1: present on the property between two thousand and six and
Speaker 1: two thousand. The evidence shows Epstein made efforts to meet
Speaker 1: the grazing lease requirements, at least for a part of
Speaker 1: the time that he held the property. These efforts, however,
Speaker 1: appear to have been haphazard and sporadic, and the record
Speaker 1: does not show leasing requirements were met. Subsequent to twenty twelve,
Speaker 1: Epstein retained Paul Bardaki, a former New Mexico Attorney General,
Speaker 1: to review his grazing lease. The earliest mention of the
Speaker 1: cattle on Zoro Ranch and material reviewed thus far by
Speaker 1: the Commission is in two thousand and five. Specifically, on
Speaker 1: December twenty eighth, two thousand and five, Zoro Trust entered
Speaker 1: into an agreement with Eddie L. Burns under which Burns
Speaker 1: would assume the grazing lease. The agreement provided in part
Speaker 1: as follows. Owner has delivered to Burns and Burns acknowledges
Speaker 1: receipt and understanding of the terms of the BLM lease
Speaker 1: and the two SLO leases, and agrees to comply with
Speaker 1: the terms of the BLM leases and the sl LOW leases.
Speaker 1: Owner explicitly denies permission to Burns to use land that
Speaker 1: is not suitable or appropriate for livestock raising purposes, or
Speaker 1: land that is in close proximity to any of the
Speaker 1: existing residences or airscript on the fee simple property owner
Speaker 1: grants permission to Burns to use the fee simple property
Speaker 1: for livestock raising purposes. Effectively, upon the execution of the license,
Speaker 1: Burns is expressly precluded from using the BLM lease property
Speaker 1: and SLO lease property until Burns has been granted respective
Speaker 1: subleases by the BLM and SLO. Burns maintained his lease
Speaker 1: until twenty ten. Cattle became preoccupied in the twenty ten
Speaker 1: eleven timeframe. An email from con to Epstein dated August
Speaker 1: twenty seventh, twenty ten, indicates Kahn check the Santa Fe
Speaker 1: County website and understood as follows. A grazing valuation claims
Speaker 1: require proof of presence of at least one h had
Speaker 1: of livestock on a minimum land requirement of eighty acres
Speaker 1: southern Santa Fe County and fifty three acres Northern Santa
Speaker 1: Fe County, and proof that the livestock has access to
Speaker 1: all of the agricultural land for the tax. Here. This
Speaker 1: may be in the form of a grazing lease, a
Speaker 1: personal property declaration of livestock that grays on the land,
Speaker 1: or some other proof of grazing use. Grazing, however, must
Speaker 1: be the primary use of the land in order to
Speaker 1: qualify b website did not provide a clear answer of
Speaker 1: how many acres each livestock exempt, so I called Larry
Speaker 1: Valdez telephone number redacted from the Agriculture County Assessor's office
Speaker 1: and left two messages. Con further explained that Epstein's lease
Speaker 1: with Eddie limits him to fifty headed cattle unless otherwise
Speaker 1: agreed upon by you and writing, but that the application
Speaker 1: with New Mexico stated that we will have at least
Speaker 1: forty nine cattle. Con concluded that there's a small window
Speaker 1: one cattle for Eddie not to be in violation of
Speaker 1: his lease. I didn't believe that livestock exempted a max amount,
Speaker 1: only a minimum. Epstein seemed frustrated, email and con the
Speaker 1: same day are cattle? I want an answer. Bryce is
Speaker 1: not my tax advisor. A September third, twenty ten email
Speaker 1: from Burns informs Epstein that we're removing our cattle from
Speaker 1: the land held by Zoro Development. Subsequent emails clarify that
Speaker 1: Burns terminated the lease. An email dated April thirteenth, twenty
Speaker 1: eleven to Epstein states that cattle are on site and
Speaker 1: will be branded today until they have settled in. They
Speaker 1: will remain in the corral unit next Monday. A document
Speaker 1: dated April eleventh, twenty eleven, reflects the purchase of fifteen
Speaker 1: heads of cattle for a related expense for ten nine
Speaker 1: hundred and nineteen dollars and fifty cents. On October fourteenth,
Speaker 1: twenty eleven, Epstein received two emails from a person whose
Speaker 1: name has been redacted, who wished to graze cattle on
Speaker 1: the land to satisfy the lease requirements. The substance of
Speaker 1: these emails is the same. The second of these emls
Speaker 1: states as follows, I would like to meet the requirement
Speaker 1: for the cattle and the land lease. This year, you
Speaker 1: purchased fifteen young cows and sold them after a certain
Speaker 1: amount of time. I would purchase the same amount of
Speaker 1: young cows heifers, but not sell them. They would stay
Speaker 1: here all year. Then the following spring, I'll purchase a
Speaker 1: bull and breed them as two year olds. I'll sell
Speaker 1: off the off spring yearly and keep the original fifteen head.
Speaker 1: The off spring will eventually pay me back for the
Speaker 1: initial cost of the cattle and additional costs associated feed shots, etc.
Speaker 1: It'll take three years to see any cash flow back.
Speaker 1: I think this plant is simple and meet your requirement
Speaker 1: for the land lease and allows me an opportunity for
Speaker 1: me to expand my horizons. No response to these emails
Speaker 1: was found. The law firm of Sutton, day Are and
Speaker 1: Brown PC was retained to advise Epstein regarding grazing leases.
Speaker 1: On February third, twenty twelve, Bryce Gordon emailed Epstein's stating
Speaker 1: to retain the agricultural exemption, a cattle sublease would be required.
Speaker 1: The sublease which Zorro had with Eddie Burns was terminated
Speaker 1: when Eddie left the ranch, but as you know, Steve
Speaker 1: Chavez is open to taking a sublease. Documentation shows a
Speaker 1: grazing lease was contemplated. A draft lease was present in
Speaker 1: the documentation, However, it's not clear an agreement was ultimately concluded.
Speaker 1: In December TEWOD twenty eleven email exchange between Wendy Martinez
Speaker 1: and Kahn forwarded to Ebstein, it's mentioned that Chavez previously
Speaker 1: had been told he could bring his dad's cattle on
Speaker 1: the ranch next spring. Bank records for the month of
Speaker 1: April twenty eleven reflect wire transfers for cattle. In September
Speaker 1: of twenty nineteen, after Epstein's death, State Land Commissioner Stephanie
Speaker 1: Garcia Richard initiated cancelation of Cyprus Incorporated's grazing leases on
Speaker 1: one thousand, two hundred and forty three acres of adjacent
Speaker 1: State Trust land after Zoro Ranch failed to respond to
Speaker 1: multiple inspection access requests following Epstein's death. The Commission has
Speaker 1: been unable to locate at this time any documentation showing
Speaker 1: that inspection access requests were made prior to Epstein's death,
Speaker 1: though formal cancelation letter cited obstruction of access, misrepresentation, and
Speaker 1: non agricultural use. It's been claimed that the lease is
Speaker 1: effectively functioned as a privacy bufferer on the ranch honor.
Speaker 1: About September fourth, twenty nineteen, New Mexico Attorney General Hector
Speaker 1: Baldaris issued a statement saying he was pleased Garcia Richard
Speaker 1: was taking back lands that should be managed to best
Speaker 1: serve the state and the benefit of New Mexico's school children.
Speaker 1: In a July twenty fourth, twenty twenty five proffer made
Speaker 1: as part of Maxwell's post conviction remedies, Maxwell testified about
Speaker 1: the challenges of maintaining cattle on Zoro Ranch, so the
Speaker 1: ranch was very challenging because not only that, but it
Speaker 1: had BLM land. So to help maintain your BLM, you
Speaker 1: have to have cattle, and I love animals. On February tenth,
Speaker 1: twenty twenty six, NMSLO Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard wrote to
Speaker 1: state and federal law enforcement urging investigation of buried allegations,
Speaker 1: noting that streat trust lands are adjacent to the ranch property.
Speaker 1: All right, folks, we're going to wrap up right there,
Speaker 1: and in the next episode dealing with the topic, we're
Speaker 1: going to pick up where we left off. All the
Speaker 1: information that goes with this episode can be found in
Speaker 1: the description box.