Jeffrey Epstein’s power extended far beyond his crimes.
For years, he cultivated relationships with politicians, prosecutors, business leaders and other influential figures, building a network that opened doors and now raises questions about who knew what and when.
Now, Justice Department records, combined with ongoing investigations and survivor testimony, are shining new light on those connections.
Epstein’s New Mexico ties
In New Mexico, where Epstein maintained his sprawling Zorro Ranch and developed ties to some of the state's most prominent political figures, former investigators are examining whether influence and access may have shaped decisions behind the scenes. The focus is no longer solely on Epstein himself, but on the powerful people around him and whether their relationships helped insulate his world from accountability.
“You can see where politics and excuses seem to perpetuate decade after decade,” former New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas told Scripps News during an interview in April. “And I know survivors are just tired.”
In 1993, Epstein bought a ranch in New Mexico from then-Governor Bruce King. He soon enmeshed himself with the state’s local elites, donating to local and statewide political races and developing a relationship with now-deceased former Governor Bill Richardson.
Before her death in 2025, Epstein survivor Virginia Roberts Giuffre accused Richardson of sexual abuse in her memoir, writing that his face was among those “preserved ... in an airtight vault in my head.”
Guiffre also named Richardson repeatedly during a 2016 deposition, telling lawyers that she was trafficked by Epstein to Richardson more than twice between the ages of approximately 17 and 18 years old. She said she gave the FBI Richardson’s name, too.
Richardson consistently denied the allegations before his death in 2023, and his estate did not respond to a request for comment.
Those connections between Epstein and politicians in New Mexico — among others — are troubling to Balderas.
He was conducting his own investigation on behalf of the state in 2019 when he was told by federal law enforcement officials at the Southern District of New York that it was also looking into Epstein in New Mexico and asked Balderas to stand down.
Former New Mexico AG says feds kept him out of the loop
Now, Balderas says documents released by the Department of Justice connected to Epstein portray a concerning relationship between federal authorities probing the Epstein case and Richardson’s legal team.
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“They shared more information with defense attorneys than they did with prosecutors and law enforcement in New Mexico,” Balderas said.
One of those defense attorneys was Jeffrey Brown, a former federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Records show he communicated about a statement his client, Bill Richardson, released, absolving the former governor of wrongdoing.
On Aug. 19, 2019, Brown emailed someone from the Southern District of New York.
In the email, Brown appears to be discussing a statement Richardson released, absolving the former governor of wrongdoing related to Epstein.
The statement says that Richardson was informed by the Assistant U.S. Attorney responsible for the case that “Governor Richardson is neither a target, subject, nor witness in the case and that there is no allegation against Governor Richardson about which the government is seeking a response from Gov. Richardson at this time.”
Someone from the Southern District of New York responded to Brown and said they believe some of the statement “remains inaccurate,” noting that they hinted to Brown that Richardson was neither a witness nor a target, but they didn't rule him out as a subject of the investigation.
Richardson put out the statement himself without consulting his attorney, according to a source.
“There's something wrong with the system when witnesses, defense attorneys and Epstein associates have more access to influence those prosecutions and those decisions,” Balderas said. “It's concerning that as they're ghosting me and withholding information, a U.S. Attorney's Office is sharing critical information about the investigation with potential defense attorneys or potentially witnesses that still need to be interviewed.”
The Department of Justice did not respond to a request to discuss this matter.
State probe may expose high-profile local names
A commission of New Mexico lawmakers is continuing its investigation into what happened at Zorro Ranch.
New Mexico State Rep. Andrea Reeb, who is a prosecutor herself and is one of four members on the panel, says the commission will be paying attention to big names in her state.
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Reeb says she’s “very concerned” that there are so many New Mexico politicians in the files who had relationships with Epstein.
"It just makes you wonder what more we're going to find, and it makes me know the corruption is out there,” Reeb said.
She said once the commission’s probe is complete, it won’t hold back from naming high-profile names.
