Latest / Beyond The Horizon / Mega Edition: The New Mexico Epstein Commission Interim Report (Part 1-4) (10/23/26)

Transcript

Mega Edition: The New Mexico Epstein Commission Interim Report (Part 1-4) (10/23/26) · Beyond The Horizon

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: What's up everyone and welcome to another episode of the
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Epstein Chronicles. In our last episode, we were talking about
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: Jeffrey Epstein and the Truth Commission's report that was released
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: in New Mexico. And considering it's a relatively slow day
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: when it comes to Epstein news, so that gives us
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: a little bit of time to dive into this. So,
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  Speaker 1: let's just get started. Summary. Who was Jeffrey Epstein? Few,
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: if any people, have been the subject of more investigations,
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: both public and private, lawsuits and journalistic and public scrutiny,
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: than Jeffrey Edward Epstein. What did he do? Who helped
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: him and covered for him? And how did he get
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  Speaker 1: away with the sexual abuse of countless women and girls
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  Speaker 1: for over four decades? Epstein began his career as a
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: teacher at the Dalton School in New York City, but
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: transitioned into finance in the mid-1980s by joining Bear Stearns,
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: an investment bank. His role there, particularly in the arbitrage department,
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: allowed him to build connections with influential figures on Wall Street,
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  Speaker 1: which would later prove crucial for his financial success. Epstein
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: amassed his wealth primarily through financial advisory services to billionaires,
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: lucrative investments, and ownership of valuable properties, with significant contributions
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: from key clients like Les Wexner and Leon Black. Epstein
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  Speaker 1: used his wealth and connections to carefully craft a means
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: to maintain his own privacy and secrecy. He also used
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  Speaker 1: his vast wealth to create access to the rich and
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  Speaker 1: powerful and to manipulate the poor and vulnerable. He constructed
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: secret retreats supported by an organizational machine where he could
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  Speaker 1: conceal his criminal behavior. Over many years, Epstein built a
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  Speaker 1: vast social network. He filled his black book with presidents
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  Speaker 1: and prime ministers, princes and princesses, cabinet secretaries, heads of
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  Speaker 1: finance and industry, media barons, Nobel laureates, leading educators, and
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  Speaker 1: scientists of every stripe, and mavens of the arts, entertainment,
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  Speaker 1: and fashion. Epstein surrounded himself with a constellation of luminaries
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  Speaker 1: and invested and spent his wealth to both facilitate his
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  Speaker 1: wrongdoing and to insulate himself from accountability. Jeffrey Epstein in
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  Speaker 1: New Mexico Why is so little known about Jeffrey Epstein
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  Speaker 1: and what he did in New Mexico. A first look
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  Speaker 1: at the available evidence reveals some truths that provide a
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  Speaker 1: context for seeking answers to these troubled questions. As detailed
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  Speaker 1: below in the discussion of institutional failures, those directly responsible
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  Speaker 1: for protecting New Mexicans relied on others to do their job. Ultimately,
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  Speaker 1: as discussed further below, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the
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  Speaker 1: District of New Mexico and the New Mexico Attorney General
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  Speaker 1: declined to take action against Epstein. believing that the U.S.
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  Speaker 1: Attorney for the Southern District of New York would do so.
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  Speaker 1: But SDNY never prioritized New Mexicans, focusing instead on Epstein's
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  Speaker 1: misdeeds in New York, Palm Beach, Florida, and the Virgin Islands,
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  Speaker 1: while leaving Epstein's offenses in New Mexico unexamined. Investigating authorities
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  Speaker 1: failed to issue search warrants, conduct searches, and seize evidence
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: and property, including Zorro Ranch itself. Moreover, investigating authorities failed
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  Speaker 1: for many years, to take any action to investigate criminal
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  Speaker 1: activity in New Mexico, even after Epstein's death in August
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  Speaker 1: of 2019 and Maxwell's conviction in 2021. To the commission's knowledge,
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  Speaker 1: neither USAO New Mexico nor any FBI field office has
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  Speaker 1: opened an investigation of criminal activity connected to Epstein's sex
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  Speaker 1: trafficking enterprise in New Mexico. Unfortunately, the passage of time
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  Speaker 1: and unexplained delay to open any criminal investigation focused on
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  Speaker 1: activities at Zorro Ranch may make it difficult, even assuming
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  Speaker 1: the full cooperation of other investigating authorities to obtain the records,
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  Speaker 1: identify the witnesses, and collect all the evidence necessary to
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  Speaker 1: establish a complete chronology of the relevant facts as they
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  Speaker 1: pertain to Epstein's activities in New Mexico since the 1980s.
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  Speaker 1: Investigations conducted in by USAO, New Mexico, and the New
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  Speaker 1: Mexico State Law Enforcement Authorities, closer to the events in question,
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  Speaker 1: were never opened or were halted before all the evidence
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  Speaker 1: could be collected. While each awaited completion of the criminal
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  Speaker 1: investigation and prosecution of Epstein and Glenn Maxwell by the SDNY. Introduction. Background.
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  Speaker 1: Numerous investigations have been conducted into Jeffrey Epstein and his
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  Speaker 1: co-conspirators and their involvement in in the sexual abuse of minors,
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  Speaker 1: sex trafficking, solicitation of prostitution, solicitation of minors for immoral purposes,
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  Speaker 1: financial crimes, and other unlawful activity. Some of these investigations,
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  Speaker 1: including the investigation conducted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for
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  Speaker 1: the Southern District of Florida and the Southern District of
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: New York, have focused strictly on the facts and evidence
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  Speaker 1: necessary to support a criminal prosecution. Other investigations include such
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  Speaker 1: as the investigation pending before the U.S. House of Representatives
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, have been broader in scope,
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  Speaker 1: addressing not only illegal activity, but also the failure of
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  Speaker 1: prosecuting authorities, governmental entities, financial institutions, and others with power
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  Speaker 1: or influence to adequately investigate and respond to Epstein and
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: others' wrongful conduct. Epstein's wrongdoing has attracted intense national and
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  Speaker 1: international attention from governments, the media, and private entities for decades,
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  Speaker 1: resulting in a body of information and evidence of massive proportions.
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  Speaker 1: The approximately 6 million pages identified and 3.5 million pages
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  Speaker 1: released under the EFTA comprise perhaps the most important part
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  Speaker 1: of the complete body of information relating to Epstein's criminal activities,
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  Speaker 1: but even this tranche of information does not tell the
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  Speaker 1: full story. Many of the documents are redacted, hiding facts, witnesses,
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  Speaker 1: and potential co-conspirators. Even after so many investigations and inquiries,
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  Speaker 1: many questions remain unanswered. Epstein's crimes were committed in numerous jurisdictions,
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  Speaker 1: but primarily at his residence in the Virgin Islands, New
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  Speaker 1: York City, and New Mexico. Investigations of Epstein have focused
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  Speaker 1: on his activity in the Virgin Islands and New York City.
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  Speaker 1: Less attention, however, has been afforded his activities in New Mexico,
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  Speaker 1: and particularly, his activities at his New Mexico residence, Zorro Ranch.
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  Speaker 1: While it's been known that Epstein's sex trafficking operation was
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  Speaker 1: active in New Mexico for many years, no full investigation
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  Speaker 1: has been conducted by any federal, state, or local authority
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  Speaker 1: necessary to uncover all the facts, to collect all the
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  Speaker 1: available evidence, and to hold wrongdoers accountable. Indeed, no search
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  Speaker 1: of Zorro Ranch was conducted until March, of 2026, almost
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  Speaker 1: seven full years after Epstein's death. H.R. 1 establishes the
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  Speaker 1: New Mexico Survivors Truth Commission. House Resolution 1, H.R. 1,
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  Speaker 1: was approved February 16, 2026 by the New Mexico House
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  Speaker 1: of Representatives on a vote of 62-0. H.R. 1 seeks
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  Speaker 1: to address the questions left unanswered as they relate to
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  Speaker 1: the activities of Epstein, his co-conspirators, and his facilitators in
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  Speaker 1: New Mexico. HR1 establishes the New Mexico Survivors Truth Commission,
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  Speaker 1: though it is formally known as the Special Committee of
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  Speaker 1: the House, but has a formal role acting as Truth
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  Speaker 1: Commission as modeled after international law. Under international law, Truth
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  Speaker 1: Commission is an official, temporary body established by a state
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  Speaker 1: to investigate and document past serious violations of international human
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  Speaker 1: rights law and serious violations of international humanitarian law. These
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  Speaker 1: commissions are part of a transitional justice mechanism often created
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  Speaker 1: after conflicts, dictatorships, or prolonged abuses to address the right
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  Speaker 1: to truth and promote reconciliation. According to the United Nations
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  Speaker 1: Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the right
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  Speaker 1: to truth is recognized in binding instruments such as the
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  Speaker 1: Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance
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  Speaker 1: and the Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to
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  Speaker 1: a Remedy for and reparation for victims of gross violation
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  Speaker 1: of international human rights law. Truth commissions fulfill this right
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  Speaker 1: by identifying the causes and conditions of violations, establishing the
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  Speaker 1: identity of perpetrators, determining the fate and whereabouts of victims
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  Speaker 1: in cases of enforced disappearance, providing an authoritative narrative of
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  Speaker 1: past events to counter denialism. Core features of a truth
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  Speaker 1: commission include focus on past events, not ongoing violations, investigate
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  Speaker 1: patterns of abuse over a period of time, engage widely
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  Speaker 1: with affected populations through testimony, public hearing, and research, operate temporarily,
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  Speaker 1: ending with a final report and recommendation for reform, officially
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  Speaker 1: authorized by the state, often with political will and independence.
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  Speaker 1: The core functions of the truth commission under international law
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  Speaker 1: include Truth-seeking. Gather and verify information from victims, witnesses, and archives. Reconciliation.
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  Speaker 1: Facilitate societal healing, sometimes through amnesty, as in South Africa's
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  Speaker 1: Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Prevention. Recommend reforms to prevent recurrence
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  Speaker 1: of abuses. Recognition. Acknowledge victims' suffering and needs. The purpose
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  Speaker 1: of this bipartisan commission is to investigate Zorro Ranch. and
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  Speaker 1: the related allegations of criminal activity to determine whether legislation
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  Speaker 1: or other legislative action is needed to A. Prevent and
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  Speaker 1: properly punish crime B. Protect children and other vulnerable persons C.
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  Speaker 1: Establish sufficient procedure for securing civil justice D. Ensure proper
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  Speaker 1: use and stewardship of public money and resources and E.
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  Speaker 1: Provide for public accountability To support this effort, the New
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  Speaker 1: Mexico House of Representatives granted the committee all necessary power
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  Speaker 1: and process, including the power to conduct hearings, compel the
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  Speaker 1: attendance of witnesses, and administer oaths and issue subpoenas. The
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  Speaker 1: House further authorized the committee, subject to the availability of funding,
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  Speaker 1: to retain staff, including legal counsel, to assist in the
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  Speaker 1: committee's efforts. H.R. 1 requires the committee to keep records
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  Speaker 1: of its work. It also requires the Committee to furnish
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  Speaker 1: a final report to all members of the House of
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  Speaker 1: Representatives on or before December 31, 2026, subject to extension
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  Speaker 1: by Commission if necessary. The final report must include 1.
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  Speaker 1: A description of the investigative procedure carried out by the Committee, 2.
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  Speaker 1: The findings and conclusions the Committee made through carrying out
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  Speaker 1: those procedures, and 3. The Committee's recommendations. The role of
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  Speaker 1: a special counsel. Pursuant to its authority under H.R. 1,
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: the committee retained outside counsel who has been contracted to
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  Speaker 1: furnish the following services. Serve as special counsel to the committee.
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  Speaker 1: Oversee and manage the activities and operations of the committee
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  Speaker 1: in consultation with and as directed by the committee chair.
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  Speaker 1: Provide advice and counsel on legal and operational matters relating
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  Speaker 1: to the committee, including investigative matters, both criminal and civil.
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  Speaker 1: Perform legal research and provide written legal opinions. Provide and
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  Speaker 1: manage committee staff, whether employees of the contractor or subcontractors.
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  Speaker 1: Gather evidence for the committee's investigation and provide investigative staff,
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  Speaker 1: whether employees of the contractor or subcontractor, and oversee direct
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  Speaker 1: and do all things necessary to complete the investigation, including
• 12:09
  Speaker 1: but not limited to conducting depositions and witness interviews and drafting, serving,
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  Speaker 1: and enforcing subpoenas. Present evidence to the committee, whether in
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  Speaker 1: executive session or public meeting, as determined appropriate by counsel
• 12:24
  Speaker 1: or majority vote of the committee. Manage any collaboration with
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  Speaker 1: the Attorney General regarding any related relevant investigation, including but
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  Speaker 1: not limited to witness interviews, depositions, subpoenas, sharing information and documents,
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  Speaker 1: and other investigative or litigation matters. Provide representation in all
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  Speaker 1: matters relating to or arising from the activities of the
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  Speaker 1: committee in any court or other venue, whether formal or informal,
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  Speaker 1: including but not limited to negotiation, litigation, arbitration, and mediation. Compile, catalog,
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  Speaker 1: and preserve in commonly searchable electronic format, such as PDF,
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  Speaker 1: all records in the contractor's possession related to the investigation.
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  Speaker 1: Draft interim and final reports reflecting the committee's process, procedure, findings,
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  Speaker 1: and conclusions, and provide other services requested by the committee
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  Speaker 1: related to committee activities. All right, folks, we're going to
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  Speaker 1: wrap up episode one right here. And in the next episode,
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  Speaker 1: we're going to pick up where we left off. All
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  Speaker 1: the information that goes with this episode can be found
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: in the description box. What's up, everyone, and welcome to
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  Speaker 1: another episode of the Epstein Chronicles. In this episode, we're
• 13:38
  Speaker 1: going to pick up where we left off with the
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  Speaker 1: New Mexico Truth Commission and their initial report. The investigation's focus,
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  Speaker 1: investigative areas. To fulfill H.R. 1's mandate, the committee, with
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  Speaker 1: assistance from retained counsel and investigators, has identified substantive investigative
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  Speaker 1: areas for inquiry into Epstein's activities on Zorro Ranch and
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  Speaker 1: in New Mexico. These investigative areas include the following. 1.
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  Speaker 1: Sexual abuse and trafficking. Who are the survivors and who
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  Speaker 1: engaged in or facilitated their abuse? This investigative area covers
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  Speaker 1: the areas of grooming, abuse occurring at Zorro Ranch, recruitment,
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  Speaker 1: and interstate trafficking. 2. Institutional Failures What did governmental and
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  Speaker 1: private entities know about Epstein and when, and why did
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  Speaker 1: they fail to hold him into account? This area covers
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  Speaker 1: whether governmental and private entities failed to investigate, prosecute, or
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  Speaker 1: take action in response to Epstein's known or suspected wrongdoing.
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  Speaker 1: This includes, but is not limited to, to whether the U.S.
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  Speaker 1: Attorney's Office in the District of New Mexico failed to
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  Speaker 1: investigate Epstein's activities in New Mexico, whether the New Mexico
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  Speaker 1: Attorney General failed to complete its investigation of Epstein, whether
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  Speaker 1: the New Mexico Attorney General's Office, now the New Mexico
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  Speaker 1: Department of Justice, failed to maintain a copy of records
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  Speaker 1: generated and collected in connection with its investigation of Epstein,
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  Speaker 1: whether New Mexico state and local authorities failed to investigate Epstein,
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  Speaker 1: whether they failed to monitor Epstein as a sex offender,
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  Speaker 1: and whether the New Mexico State Land Office failed to
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  Speaker 1: enforce the terms of its land lease with Epstein. 3.
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  Speaker 1: Power and Motives Headed Epstein uses wealth and power to
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  Speaker 1: motivate others to cover for his crimes. This investigative area
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  Speaker 1: examines Epstein's use of his extensive social network of rich, powerful,
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  Speaker 1: and influential individuals and organizations to facilitate his wrongdoing. and
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  Speaker 1: to evade detection, investigation, prosecution, and other adverse consequences. This
• 15:50
  Speaker 1: area covers whether Epstein implicitly blackmailed participants in his sex
• 15:54
  Speaker 1: trafficking enterprise, and whether he conveyed the suggestion of his
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  Speaker 1: involvement in national security and foreign intelligence matters to evade
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  Speaker 1: investigation and consequences for his activities. Medical and Scientific Improprieties
• 16:10
  Speaker 1: Did Epstein advance his wrongful activities through medicine and science?
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  Speaker 1: And if so, how? This area relates to Epstein's documented
• 16:19
  Speaker 1: interest in and support of medical and scientific advances, sometimes
• 16:24
  Speaker 1: for unethical or improper purposes. This area covers Epstein's interest
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  Speaker 1: in eugenics and transhumanism, as well as reports that he
• 16:33
  Speaker 1: facilitated forced impregnation and non-consensual medical procedure. This area also
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  Speaker 1: covers Epstein's attempts to manipulate persons engaged in scientific research
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  Speaker 1: to further his own interests, financial crimes, and irregularities in recovery.
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  Speaker 1: How did Epstein and others use money to facilitate wrongdoing,
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  Speaker 1: and what remedies are available to afford survivors financial recovery?
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  Speaker 1: This area covers Epstein's use of money to leverage access
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  Speaker 1: and to silence victims and others. This area also covers
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  Speaker 1: any financial crime that Epstein or any of his associates
• 17:09
  Speaker 1: committed in New Mexico. Finally, this area covers addresses whether
• 17:13
  Speaker 1: remedies for recovery of damages were available and, if so,
• 17:17
  Speaker 1: availed for those who were victimized by Epstein. Ultimately, investigation
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  Speaker 1: of these areas will seek to reveal 1. What wrongdoing
• 17:27
  Speaker 1: relating to Epstein occurred in New Mexico or elsewhere? 2.
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  Speaker 1: Who participated in or facilitated this wrongdoing? 3. What did
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  Speaker 1: entities and persons with power, wealth, or influence do or
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  Speaker 1: felt to do that facilitated or failed to prevent this wrongdoing?
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  Speaker 1: And 4. Was this wrongdoing preventable, and if not, what action,
• 17:48
  Speaker 1: to include legislation, could have prevented it? Description of the
• 17:54
  Speaker 1: Committee's Investigative Procedure Victim-Witness Contacts The Truth Commission itself and
• 18:00
  Speaker 1: Commission Council are actively soliciting information and tips about Epstein's
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  Speaker 1: activities in New Mexico, from Victims, Witnesses, and the public
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  Speaker 1: at large. The Commission has created a website at www.nmtruthcommission.com
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  Speaker 1: where victims, witnesses, and other persons with relevant information may
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  Speaker 1: contact the Commission anonymously or otherwise and post relevant information
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  Speaker 1: or records. The Commission, through counsel, will take necessary and
• 18:31
  Speaker 1: reasonable measures to investigate all credible reports of abuse. The
• 18:35
  Speaker 1: Commission will seek to avoid any interviewing any survivor or
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  Speaker 1: victim more than once. The Commission, through counsel, is empowered
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  Speaker 1: to obtain sworn statements or sworn deposition testimony from witnesses.
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  Speaker 1: If willing to do so, survivors and witnesses, upon appropriate vetting,
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  Speaker 1: may be called on to provide public testimony at Commission hearings.
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  Speaker 1: Both the Commission itself and Commission counsel may interact with
• 19:00
  Speaker 1: survivors and witnesses. All interviews are survivor-centered and are conducted
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  Speaker 1: in a manner that prioritizes the needs of safety, and
• 19:08
  Speaker 1: well-being of the survivor while gathering accurate information relevant to
• 19:13
  Speaker 1: the committee's purpose. This approach ensures that survivors feel supported, respected,
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  Speaker 1: and empowered to participate in the investigation without fear of
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  Speaker 1: judgment or re-traumatization. To the extent permitted by law, the
• 19:26
  Speaker 1: Commission honors victim requests for confidentiality and anonymity. Collaboration with
• 19:33
  Speaker 1: NMDOJ Following the enactment of H.R. 1, New Mexico Attorney
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  Speaker 1: General Raul Torres initiated criminal investigation targeting wrongdoers associated with
• 19:43
  Speaker 1: Epstein or Zorro Ranch or elsewhere in New Mexico. Commission
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  Speaker 1: counsel has been charged. with managing the commission's collaboration with
• 19:52
  Speaker 1: the New Mexico Attorney General regarding any related or relevant investigation,
• 19:57
  Speaker 1: including but not limited to witness interviews, depositions, subpoenas, sharing
• 20:02
  Speaker 1: information and documents, and other investigative or litigation matters. The
• 20:07
  Speaker 1: current New Mexico Attorney General, Raul Torres, took office in
• 20:11
  Speaker 1: 2023 and opened a criminal investigation into Epstein's activities, announcing
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  Speaker 1: this on February 19, 2026, three days after unanimous approval
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  Speaker 1: of the Truth Commission. Torres promised to work in close
• 20:25
  Speaker 1: coordination with federal and local law enforcement partners, as well
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  Speaker 1: as with the commission recently established by the New Mexico Legislature,
• 20:33
  Speaker 1: which has its own independent mandate to investigate these matters
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  Speaker 1: on behalf of the public. The New Mexico Department of
• 20:40
  Speaker 1: Justice has voluntarily provided the commission some documents and information. Moreover,
• 20:45
  Speaker 1: NMDOJ has shared information and evidence collected at the time
• 20:50
  Speaker 1: of their search of Zorro Ranch. Aside from their investigation
• 20:54
  Speaker 1: at Zorro Ranch, NMDOJ produced information that was publicly available
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  Speaker 1: through their IPRA process. The Commission and NMDOJ are currently
• 21:05
  Speaker 1: engaged in negotiation with the aim of reaching an agreement
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  Speaker 1: to share information with one another as permitted by law
• 21:12
  Speaker 1: and consistent with their independent authorities and purposes. The Commission
• 21:17
  Speaker 1: proposes that both the Commission and NMDOJ share information to
• 21:22
  Speaker 1: the maximum extent possible, recognizing also that there may be
• 21:26
  Speaker 1: occasions when sharing specific information creates an unacceptable risk to
• 21:30
  Speaker 1: the safety of individuals and or the integrity of ongoing investigations,
• 21:34
  Speaker 1: enforcement actions, or other legitimate interests. The Commission further proposes
• 21:40
  Speaker 1: that the Commission and NMDOJ coordinate and collaborate when conducting
• 21:45
  Speaker 1: interviews and depositions of victims, witnesses, and other persons. At
• 21:50
  Speaker 1: this time, the Commission and NMDOJ have been unavailable or
• 21:55
  Speaker 1: unable to reach an agreement. The Truth Commission's initial investigative
• 21:59
  Speaker 1: efforts April 2026 through July of 2026. The Commission's initial
• 22:06
  Speaker 1: efforts focused on organization of staff resources, development of investigative procedure,
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  Speaker 1: acquisition of necessary technology, task delegation, and collection and review
• 22:17
  Speaker 1: of documentary evidence. Retained counsel includes six attorneys and seven paralegals,
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  Speaker 1: all of whom are dedicated on at least part-time basis
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  Speaker 1: to the investigation. The Epstein Files Transparency Act to date,
• 22:32
  Speaker 1: investigation has included review of records released pursuant to the
• 22:36
  Speaker 1: Epstein Files Transparency Act, records obtained pursuant to subpoenas issued
• 22:41
  Speaker 1: under authority of H.R. 1, witness interviews conducted by Commission
• 22:45
  Speaker 1: Counsel and others, the collection and review of documentary evidence,
• 22:50
  Speaker 1: and information otherwise publicly available. The largest body of documentary
• 22:55
  Speaker 1: evidence is the evidence released under the EFTA. In its
• 22:59
  Speaker 1: released documents, Under the EFTA, DOJ explained as follows. These
• 23:04
  Speaker 1: files were collected from five primary sources, including Florida and
• 23:09
  Speaker 1: New York cases against Epstein, the New York case against Maxwell,
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  Speaker 1: the New York case investigating Epstein's death, the Florida case
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  Speaker 1: investigating a former butler of Epstein, multiple FBI investigations, and
• 23:21
  Speaker 1: the Office of Inspector General Investigation into Epstein's death. The
• 23:27
  Speaker 1: department erred on the side of over-collecting material and any
• 23:30
  Speaker 1: material not produced fall within one of the following categories.
• 23:34
  Speaker 1: Duplicate documents between SDNY and SDFL investigation. Withheld under privilege.
• 23:40
  Speaker 1: Deliberative process privilege or attorney-client privilege. Withheld based upon exceptions
• 23:46
  Speaker 1: under the Act. Items that are not part of the
• 23:49
  Speaker 1: case file for Epstein or Maxwell and were completely unrelated
• 23:52
  Speaker 1: to these cases. More than 500 attorneys and reviewers from
• 23:56
  Speaker 1: the department contributed to this effort. In addition, the United
• 24:00
  Speaker 1: States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York
• 24:03
  Speaker 1: employed an additional review protocol to ensure compliance with a
• 24:06
  Speaker 1: court order requiring United States Attorney Jay Clayton to certify
• 24:10
  Speaker 1: that no victim identifying information would be produced unredacted as
• 24:15
  Speaker 1: part of the public production. Through the process, the department
• 24:18
  Speaker 1: provided clear instructions to reviewers that the redactions were to
• 24:22
  Speaker 1: be limited to the protection of victims and their families.
• 24:25
  Speaker 1: Some pornographic images, whether commercial or not, were redacted. Given
• 24:30
  Speaker 1: the department treated all women in those images as victims,
• 24:33
  Speaker 1: notable individuals and politicians were not redacted in any of
• 24:36
  Speaker 1: the release files. This production may include fake or falsely
• 24:41
  Speaker 1: submitted images, documents, or videos, as everything that was sent
• 24:44
  Speaker 1: to the FBI by the public was included in the
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: production that is responsive to the act. EFTA records constitute
• 24:51
  Speaker 1: the bulk of the available public record regarding Epstein's activity.
• 24:55
  Speaker 1: To date, DOJ has identified approximately 6 million pages and
• 25:00
  Speaker 1: released 3.5 million pages under the EFTA. These records are
• 25:04
  Speaker 1: not provided in chronological order or organized in a way
• 25:08
  Speaker 1: that makes them easily searchable. Rather, the records are broken
• 25:11
  Speaker 1: down into 12 datasets, which contain a voluminous mixture of
• 25:15
  Speaker 1: email chains, flight logs, bank statements, FBI interview summaries, and
• 25:19
  Speaker 1: over 2,000 videos and 180,000 images. Moreover, the records are
• 25:25
  Speaker 1: heavily redacted. Redactions are inconsistent and appear arbitrary. For example,
• 25:30
  Speaker 1: witness names will be redacted on one page but not
• 25:32
  Speaker 1: redacted on another. Or a name will be redacted alongside
• 25:36
  Speaker 1: information that makes the name readily identifiable. Copies of the
• 25:40
  Speaker 1: same document will be redacted differently. Email information addresses and
• 25:44
  Speaker 1: telephone numbers are redacted for no apparent purpose. The identity
• 25:48
  Speaker 1: of public officials are heavily redacted for no apparent reason.
• 25:52
  Speaker 1: Some documents are redacted in their entirety. Overall, using the
• 25:57
  Speaker 1: AFTA records to establish a verifiable and complete chronology of
• 26:01
  Speaker 1: relevant facts is extremely tedious and time-consuming. Verifying any given
• 26:06
  Speaker 1: fact amounts to searching for a needle in a haystack.
• 26:10
  Speaker 1: Alright folks, we're going to wrap up right here, and
• 26:12
  Speaker 1: in the next episode, we're going to pick up where
• 26:15
  Speaker 1: we left off. All the information that goes with this
• 26:17
  Speaker 1: episode can be found in the description box. What's up
• 26:21
  Speaker 1: everyone and welcome to another episode of the Epstein Chronicles.
• 26:25
  Speaker 1: In this episode, we're going to pick up where we
• 26:27
  Speaker 1: left off with the New Mexico prelim report released by
• 26:31
  Speaker 1: the Epstein Truth Commission in New Mexico. Although the record
• 26:36
  Speaker 1: is voluminous, there are still significant gaps in the evidence.
• 26:39
  Speaker 1: For instance, Epstein's email communication cover only the period between
• 26:44
  Speaker 1: 2009 and 2019. Moreover, past investigative efforts focused on limited
• 26:49
  Speaker 1: targets in limited locations, whereas other locations where Epstein was
• 26:54
  Speaker 1: alleged to have engaged in illegal activity, including New Mexico,
• 26:58
  Speaker 1: were largely ignored. The commission has not received full cooperation
• 27:02
  Speaker 1: in obtaining evidence from federal and state entities that previously
• 27:06
  Speaker 1: conducted investigations into Epstein's activities in New Mexico. The U.S.
• 27:11
  Speaker 1: Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico has only
• 27:14
  Speaker 1: partially responded to the commission's subpoena for records meaning that
• 27:18
  Speaker 1: they have only returned sparse records of information that do
• 27:21
  Speaker 1: not fully respond to the subpoena's request. Other DOJ components,
• 27:25
  Speaker 1: including SDNY and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern
• 27:29
  Speaker 1: District of Florida, the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan,
• 27:33
  Speaker 1: and the District of South Carolina, have refused to comply
• 27:36
  Speaker 1: with the Commission's subpoena or entirely ignored them. Documents released
• 27:41
  Speaker 1: under the EFTA constitute an important source of evidence. However,
• 27:45
  Speaker 1: There are numerous facts documented in documents released under EFTA
• 27:49
  Speaker 1: that cannot be verified or adequately assessed for credibility. For instance,
• 27:55
  Speaker 1: the FBI received a tip on November 25, 2019 that
• 27:59
  Speaker 1: stated two dead bodies were buried at the ranch. The information,
• 28:03
  Speaker 1: through testimony of former Attorney General Hector Balderas, revealed that
• 28:07
  Speaker 1: tip was never provided to his office at the time
• 28:10
  Speaker 1: it was given to the FBI. To date, the validity
• 28:13
  Speaker 1: of the claim is unknown. nor is its source known.
• 28:17
  Speaker 1: The statute does not grant DOJ unlimited discretion to withhold
• 28:21
  Speaker 1: or redact material. It permits withholding only for five specific reasons.
• 28:26
  Speaker 1: Protecting victims' personally identifiable information, protecting against disclosure of child
• 28:32
  Speaker 1: sexual abuse material, protecting active investigations, narrowly and temporarily, protecting
• 28:37
  Speaker 1: graphic images of death or abuse, and protecting properly classified
• 28:42
  Speaker 1: national security information. Any redaction made under these grounds must
• 28:47
  Speaker 1: come with a written justification published in the Federal Register,
• 28:51
  Speaker 1: the government's official daily journal for regulations, notices, and legal announcements,
• 28:56
  Speaker 1: and reported to Congress. The law also contains a crucial restriction.
• 29:01
  Speaker 1: No record may be withheld on the basis of embarrassment,
• 29:04
  Speaker 1: reputational harm, or political sensitivity, including to any governmental official,
• 29:09
  Speaker 1: public figure, or foreign dignitary. Congress wrote that sentence transparently
• 29:15
  Speaker 1: to prevent exactly the kind of selective redaction critics have
• 29:19
  Speaker 1: accused DOJ of engaging in, protecting the reputations of well-connected
• 29:24
  Speaker 1: people who appear in Epstein's orbit. The commission takes the
• 29:27
  Speaker 1: position that all records that the DOJ are withholding subject
• 29:31
  Speaker 1: to EFTA should be released. Truth Commission Investigative Theory and
• 29:36
  Speaker 1: Methodology The commission's investigative strategy was to build its investigation
• 29:41
  Speaker 1: from documents released under the EFTA, as well as from
• 29:45
  Speaker 1: information that exists within existing archives of various institutions in
• 29:50
  Speaker 1: order to prepare for interviewing or hitting with a subpoena
• 29:54
  Speaker 1: individuals based on what information was uncovered or provided. This
• 29:59
  Speaker 1: included Subpoenas to institutions that would have knowledge, which could
• 30:03
  Speaker 1: lead the Truth Commission to build a body of knowledge
• 30:06
  Speaker 1: surrounding Epstein and his co-conspirators' actions, rooted in objective information
• 30:11
  Speaker 1: provided through subpoenas. Later, the individuals connected to the information
• 30:15
  Speaker 1: are likely to be subpoenaed, or requested later for direct conversations, interviews,
• 30:20
  Speaker 1: or depositions. Thus far, the Commission has issued 20 subpoenas.
• 30:25
  Speaker 1: The targets of all subpoenas issued are as well as
• 30:28
  Speaker 1: the date of issuance and the target response to date,
• 30:31
  Speaker 1: are reflected in the table below. New Mexico State Land Office,
• 30:36
  Speaker 1: June 5th, 2026. Response, full compliance. New Mexico Governor's Office,
• 30:42
  Speaker 1: June 8th, 2026. Full compliance. New Mexico Attorney General's Office,
• 30:48
  Speaker 1: June 8th, 2026. Partial compliance. New Mexico Department of Public Safety,
• 30:55
  Speaker 1: June 8th, 2026, full compliance. Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office,
• 31:00
  Speaker 1: June 8th, 2026, full compliance. Santa Fe Institute, June 8th, 2026,
• 31:06
  Speaker 1: full compliance. New Mexico Department of Health, June 12th, 2026,
• 31:12
  Speaker 1: full compliance. New Mexico Public Regulation Commission, June 12th, 2026,
• 31:18
  Speaker 1: full compliance. New Mexico Regulatory and Licensing Department, June 12th, 2026,
• 31:24
  Speaker 1: full compliance. New Mexico State Records and Archives, June 12th, 2026,
• 31:29
  Speaker 1: full compliance. Federal Aviation Administration, June 12th, 2026, no response.
• 31:37
  Speaker 1: United States Attorney's Office, USAO, New Mexico, June 12th, 2026,
• 31:42
  Speaker 1: partial compliance. USAO, SDNY, June 16th, 2026, compliance refused. USAO, SDFL,
• 31:52
  Speaker 1: June 16th, 2026, no response. Deutsche Bank, June 20th, 2026,
• 32:00
  Speaker 1: full compliance, rolling. JP Morgan, June 20th, 2026, no response. USAO, EDMI,
• 32:04
  Speaker 1: June 23rd, 2026, no response. USAO, USVI, June 29th, 2026,
• 32:08
  Speaker 1: no response. USAO, SCI, June 29th, 2026, no response. USAO WDMI,
• 32:24
  Speaker 1: June 30th, 2026, no response. Of the 20 subpoenas issued,
• 32:29
  Speaker 1: 10 have been met with full compliance, 2 have been
• 32:31
  Speaker 1: met with partial compliance, and 8 have been met with
• 32:34
  Speaker 1: refusals to comply or no response at all. The Commission
• 32:38
  Speaker 1: has received over 100,000 records in response to all subpoenas
• 32:42
  Speaker 1: issued thus far. The Commission will seek enforcement of subpoenas
• 32:46
  Speaker 1: issued subject to an analysis weighing the likelihood of relevant evidence,
• 32:50
  Speaker 1: the availability of evidence from other sources, and the availability
• 32:55
  Speaker 1: of investigative resources. Subpoenas issued to federal agencies may have
• 33:00
  Speaker 1: been accompanied by requests conforming to federal regulatory guidance as
• 33:05
  Speaker 1: required by the U.S. TUI v. Reagan 340 U.S. 462, 1951.
• 33:12
  Speaker 1: Federal agencies to include DOJ, which includes the component U.S.
• 33:15
  Speaker 1: Attorney's Office, and FBI, and the U.S. Department of Transportation,
• 33:19
  Speaker 1: which includes Federal Aviation Administration, have promulgated regulations, often referred
• 33:25
  Speaker 1: to as TUI regulations, governing their response to federal or
• 33:29
  Speaker 1: state subpoenas requesting testimony or records. All subpoenas are posted
• 33:33
  Speaker 1: to the website www.NewMexicoTruthCommission.com. Epstein-Zorro Ranch Timeline March 1, 1993.
• 33:42
  Speaker 1: Epstein acquires Zorro Ranch. Buys the 7,600-acre property from the
• 33:48
  Speaker 1: family of Sitting New Mexico, Governor Bruce King, holding title
• 33:53
  Speaker 1: through the Zorro Trust. 1996. Abuse survivors. First documented abuse
• 33:58
  Speaker 1: at the ranch. A minor is groomed at Zorro Ranch,
• 34:01
  Speaker 1: beginning with unsolicited topless massage, per the Maxwell indictment. 2004.
• 34:07
  Speaker 1: Abuse survivors. Minor flown to the ranch at age 15.
• 34:11
  Speaker 1: A victim, Jane Doe, is flown to Zorro Ranch and
• 34:14
  Speaker 1: sexually molested, per her statement, at Maxwell's sentencing. 2006. Abused survivors.
• 34:21
  Speaker 1: Survivors report to the FBI. The FBI interviews a survivor
• 34:25
  Speaker 1: who recounts 1996 interaction with Epstein and Maxwell in New
• 34:29
  Speaker 1: York and at Zorro Ranch SDFL investigation. January 1, 2007.
• 34:35
  Speaker 1: Gary King takes office as New Mexico Attorney General. 2007-2010.
• 34:41
  Speaker 1: Jane Doe 5. Traffic to the ranch. Alleges in litigation
• 34:45
  Speaker 1: that Epstein took her to Zorro Ranch multiple times between
• 34:48
  Speaker 1: 2007 and 2010 and coerced her into sex. June 30, 2008.
• 34:55
  Speaker 1: Florida case. Epstein's Florida conviction. Convicted in Palm Beach of
• 34:58
  Speaker 1: procuring a person under 18 for prostitution. July 21, 2010.
• 35:04
  Speaker 1: Florida case. Released from Florida custody. Epstein released from probation. parole, corrections,
• 35:11
  Speaker 1: after serving his Florida sentence. Epstein and Zorro Ranch Timeline
• 35:16
  Speaker 1: 2015-2026 January 1, 2015 Hector Balderas takes office as New
• 35:21
  Speaker 1: Mexico AG. February 23, 2018 John C. Anderson, U.S. Attorney,
• 35:27
  Speaker 1: sworn in as U.S. Attorney, the first Democratic New Mexico U.S.
• 35:31
  Speaker 1: Attorney documented to take any action regarding Epstein. May Through
• 35:38
  Speaker 1: July of 2019, Balderas opens investigation. New Mexico Attorney General
• 35:44
  Speaker 1: opens a criminal review. By July 2019, it's deferred to SDNY,
• 35:49
  Speaker 1: and per the commission, never reopened before he left office.
• 35:52
  Speaker 1: July 8th, 2019, federal case. Epstein's federal indictment returned. SDNY
• 35:58
  Speaker 1: grand jury indictment for sex trafficking of minors is unsealed.
• 36:01
  Speaker 1: Epstein was arrested two days earlier, July 6th. August 10th, 2019,
• 36:07
  Speaker 1: federal case, Epstein's death. Epstein dies in federal custody at
• 36:12
  Speaker 1: Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York while awaiting trial. July 2nd, 2020,
• 36:18
  Speaker 1: Glenn Maxwell's indictment returned. Federal grand jury, SDNY, indictment charging Maxwell.
• 36:24
  Speaker 1: She's arrested the same month. January 3rd, 2021, U.S. Attorney
• 36:29
  Speaker 1: Fred Federici SERVES AS U.S. ATTORNEY FOR THE DISTRICT OF
• 36:36
  Speaker 1: NEW MEXICO BETWEEN JOHN ANDERSON AND ALEXANDER UBALES. DECEMBER 29, 2021.
• 36:42
  Speaker 1: FEDERAL CASE, MAXWELL'S CONVICTION. CONVICTED ON FIVE COUNTS OF SEX
• 36:46
  Speaker 1: TRAFFICKING AND RELATED CHARGES. LATER SENTENCED 20 YEARS. MAY 24, 2022.
• 36:53
  Speaker 1: ALEXANDER UBALES, U.S. ATTORNEY, NEW MEXICO. SWORN IN AS U.S.
• 36:58
  Speaker 1: ATTORNEY FOR THE DISTRICT OF NEW MEXICO. January 1st, 2023,
• 37:03
  Speaker 1: Raul Torres takes office as New Mexico AG. April 18th, 2025,
• 37:09
  Speaker 1: Ryan Ellison, U.S. Attorney, appointed by Attorney General Pam Bondi,
• 37:13
  Speaker 1: sworn in. April 18th, 2025, never Senate confirmed. February 16th, 2026,
• 37:20
  Speaker 1: Survivors Truth Commission established. The New Mexico House of Representatives
• 37:26
  Speaker 1: approves House Resolution 1 by a vote of 62-0. creating
• 37:30
  Speaker 1: the commission and directing it to investigate Epstein's activities in
• 37:33
  Speaker 1: New Mexico. February 19, 2026. A.G. Torres opens the Epstein investigation.
• 37:42
  Speaker 1: The commission has also had contact with numerous witnesses, potential witnesses,
• 37:46
  Speaker 1: potential and actual survivors, and other persons of interest. Of
• 37:51
  Speaker 1: these contacts, some were the result of unsolicited emails, in-person interactions,
• 37:56
  Speaker 1: telephone calls or text messages, In addition, the Commission, either
• 38:00
  Speaker 1: directly or through its hired counsel, has interviewed or engaged
• 38:04
  Speaker 1: with a number of witnesses. Additional witnesses have been identified
• 38:08
  Speaker 1: through review of records or, based on leads, obtained through
• 38:11
  Speaker 1: witness interviews. All persons identified in this interim report are
• 38:16
  Speaker 1: potential witnesses the Commission may interview or depose. Commission counsel
• 38:21
  Speaker 1: will endeavor to interview and or depose witnesses as necessary
• 38:25
  Speaker 1: and try to the extent possible to either through voluntary
• 38:28
  Speaker 1: appearance or by means of compulsory process. It's anticipated that
• 38:33
  Speaker 1: some of the witnesses will resist the Commission's investigative efforts.
• 38:39
  Speaker 1: The Commission expects that formal witness interviews and depositions will
• 38:43
  Speaker 1: occur following thorough review and organization of the considerable documentary
• 38:48
  Speaker 1: record released under the EFTA and anticipated upon return of
• 38:52
  Speaker 1: the Commission subpoena. The Truth Commission is following current litigation
• 38:56
  Speaker 1: and regarding the EFTA, including the recent decision of the U.S.
• 39:00
  Speaker 1: District Court for the District of Columbia and Fang v. Blanche,
• 39:04
  Speaker 1: ordering Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to turn over EFTA
• 39:08
  Speaker 1: records and defend redactions. Additionally, Congress has pending legislation to
• 39:13
  Speaker 1: allow Epstein survivors to litigate to release their own personal
• 39:17
  Speaker 1: documents provided to the federal DOJ. In addition to watchdog
• 39:21
  Speaker 1: external events, and possibilities for obtaining greater resources of information
• 39:26
  Speaker 1: from the DOJ, formal interviews, and the taking of sworn testimony.
• 39:30
  Speaker 1: will be sequenced in a manner that best advances the
• 39:33
  Speaker 1: Commission's investigative goals. All right, folks, we're going to wrap
• 39:37
  Speaker 1: up right here. And in the next episode, we're going
• 39:39
  Speaker 1: to pick up where we left off. All the information
• 39:42
  Speaker 1: that goes with this episode can be found in the
• 39:45
  Speaker 1: description box. What's up, everyone, and welcome to another episode
• 39:48
  Speaker 1: of of the Epstein Chronicles. In this episode, we're going
• 39:52
  Speaker 1: to spin back down to New Mexico and pick up
• 39:54
  Speaker 1: where we left off with the interim report on Jeffrey
• 39:58
  Speaker 1: Epstein's behavior and criminal activity in the state of New Mexico.
• 40:03
  Speaker 1: Epstein in New Mexico, Zorro Ranch, and beyond. Jeffrey Epstein
• 40:08
  Speaker 1: maintained his residence in Santa Fe, New Mexico, off and on,
• 40:12
  Speaker 1: beginning in the early 1990s. At this point, little is
• 40:15
  Speaker 1: known about Epstein's activity in Santa Fe, prior to his
• 40:19
  Speaker 1: acquisition of Zorro Ranch. Epstein acquired and developed Zorro Ranch
• 40:25
  Speaker 1: as a vacation retreat approximately five years before he acquired
• 40:28
  Speaker 1: his property in the U.S. Virgin Islands and 9th East
• 40:32
  Speaker 1: 71st Street in New York City in 1998. On March 1st, 1993,
• 40:38
  Speaker 1: Jeffrey Epstein acquired the property that he would name the
• 40:41
  Speaker 1: Zorro Ranch from sitting New Mexico Governor Bruce King and
• 40:45
  Speaker 1: his brothers Don and Sam King. Then-Representative Ron the King
• 40:50
  Speaker 1: acted as a realtor on behalf of the King family.
• 40:53
  Speaker 1: Epstein acquired the property through the Zorro Trust, an entity
• 40:57
  Speaker 1: of which Epstein was trustee. Some years later, on December 16, 2011,
• 41:02
  Speaker 1: the Zorro Trust transferred the ranch property to Cypress Incorporated,
• 41:08
  Speaker 1: a Virgin Islands corporation of which Epstein was president. The
• 41:12
  Speaker 1: Zorro Ranch remained Epstein's New Mexico residence up until the
• 41:16
  Speaker 1: time of his death on August 10, 2019. Flight records
• 41:21
  Speaker 1: and witness testimony indicate that Epstein spent approximately two to
• 41:24
  Speaker 1: five weeks annually at Zorro Ranch from approximately 1994 to 2019.
• 41:31
  Speaker 1: John Kelly acted as an attorney-in-fact for Jeffrey Epstein on
• 41:36
  Speaker 1: March 15, 1993 by executing the land lease component of
• 41:40
  Speaker 1: the accusation from the New Mexico State Land Office. Kelly
• 41:44
  Speaker 1: served as U.S. Attorney for the and 2001. In 2026,
• 41:51
  Speaker 1: Kelly released a statement stating, in 1993, I was asked
• 41:55
  Speaker 1: by the King family, with whom I was well acquainted,
• 41:58
  Speaker 1: if I would assist with a real estate transaction between
• 42:01
  Speaker 1: an out-of-state buyer and the King family with respect to
• 42:04
  Speaker 1: one of the King family properties. That out-of-state buyer turned
• 42:08
  Speaker 1: out to be Jeffrey Epstein. Kelly admitted to meeting Mr.
• 42:12
  Speaker 1: Epstein in connection with the transaction stating, I assisted with
• 42:16
  Speaker 1: the transaction in as an attorney at the King family's request.
• 42:20
  Speaker 1: I do not specifically recall any direct interaction with Mr.
• 42:23
  Speaker 1: Epstein in connection with the transaction, and I do not
• 42:26
  Speaker 1: recall ever encountering him again after that time. Kelly's name
• 42:31
  Speaker 1: was listed in Epstein's Black Book of Contacts. Kelly stated
• 42:34
  Speaker 1: that he had absolutely no knowledge of Epstein's criminal conduct
• 42:38
  Speaker 1: until it was reported in the press. In response to
• 42:41
  Speaker 1: a request for information, the USAO NM stated, that it
• 42:45
  Speaker 1: could not comment on the internal process or deliberation that
• 42:49
  Speaker 1: occur within our office. Records obtained by the NMSLO shed
• 42:54
  Speaker 1: no light on Kelly's role in the real estate transaction
• 42:57
  Speaker 1: beyond what Kelly later reported to the press. Zorro Ranch
• 43:05
  Speaker 1: is comprised of the following real property interests, which include
• 43:09
  Speaker 1: land owned through a special warranty deed, as well as
• 43:12
  Speaker 1: state and federal grazing and agricultural leases. 84.86 Acres, Section 36, T13N, R9E,
• 43:16
  Speaker 1: Waterline Right-of-Way, R-30137, 1,158.97 Acres, Section 16, Parts of Section 2, T129, R9E,
• 43:21
  Speaker 1: Grazing Lease, GR2122, Land Appraisals Dated, May 22, 2012. ADP 303,
• 43:45
  Speaker 1: ADP 304. Assignment for federal land parcels acreage unconfirmed at
• 43:51
  Speaker 1: this time. The state and federal leases are subject to
• 43:55
  Speaker 1: use and other conditions administered by the NMSLO and the
• 44:00
  Speaker 1: Federal Bureau of Land Management. As discussed below, Epstein did
• 44:04
  Speaker 1: not always comply with these conditions, nor were they always
• 44:07
  Speaker 1: enforced by NMSLO and BLM. By letter dated November 10, 1993,
• 44:14
  Speaker 1: NMSLO advised Epstein that he had not paid his lease
• 44:17
  Speaker 1: fee for the October 1, 1993 due date, and that
• 44:21
  Speaker 1: consequently a late fee had been assessed. On July 20, 1994,
• 44:26
  Speaker 1: Ghislaine Maxwell signed a sworn appraisement of grazing and agricultural lands,
• 44:32
  Speaker 1: attesting that she had inspected the property, was disinterested party,
• 44:36
  Speaker 1: and that the cash value per acre of the land
• 44:39
  Speaker 1: was $ 300 if sold, and $ 400 per acre for lease purposes.
• 44:44
  Speaker 1: It's not clear at this time whether Epstein acquired the
• 44:47
  Speaker 1: title to the 7,621.74 acres in one transaction or whether
• 44:53
  Speaker 1: he added acreage to the ranch over the years. Epstein's
• 44:57
  Speaker 1: Improvement to Zorro Ranch What would become the 28,636 square
• 45:03
  Speaker 1: foot main residence did not exist upon Epstein's purchase of
• 45:07
  Speaker 1: Zorro Ranch. Before this mansion was constructed, Epstein used temporary
• 45:12
  Speaker 1: structure which witnesses described as almost like a log cabin
• 45:16
  Speaker 1: or mobile home, that was made to be very nice.
• 45:20
  Speaker 1: Over time, a variety of structures were constructed totaling approximately 50,000
• 45:25
  Speaker 1: square feet. These structures included staff cabins, guest houses, stables,
• 45:30
  Speaker 1: and other function-based outbuildings. As one witness described it, there
• 45:35
  Speaker 1: were all sorts of different homes, like little cabins or
• 45:38
  Speaker 1: guest houses, where different staff would live. Witnesses have stated
• 45:42
  Speaker 1: that that when visiting the ranch, they entered through the
• 45:45
  Speaker 1: back of the house, through a mudroom adjacent to the kitchen,
• 45:49
  Speaker 1: and were not permitted in other areas. Generally, they were
• 45:52
  Speaker 1: not allowed in the rest of the house, although one
• 45:55
  Speaker 1: witness was allowed into a library off the kitchen and
• 45:58
  Speaker 1: occasionally in Ghislaine Maxwell's bedroom. Epstein closely directed the many
• 46:03
  Speaker 1: improvements to the property, including construction of the main residence.
• 46:07
  Speaker 1: The main residence was constructed by Bradbury and Stamm Construction.
• 46:11
  Speaker 1: According to the Santa Fe County Assessor, the Zorro Ranch
• 46:15
  Speaker 1: is comprised of 7,621.74 acres. Improvements include a three-story, 28,636-square-foot
• 46:18
  Speaker 1: main residence constructed in 1999, a 434-square-foot guest house constructed
• 46:23
  Speaker 1: in 1999, a 1,895-square-foot guest house constructed in 1962, a 2,754
• 46:40
  Speaker 1: square foot guest house constructed in 1994, an 1,896 square
• 46:42
  Speaker 1: foot guest house constructed in 94, a 2,164 square foot
• 46:45
  Speaker 1: guest house constructed in 99, a 600 square foot guest
• 46:49
  Speaker 1: house constructed in 98, a 1,032 square foot guest house
• 46:51
  Speaker 1: constructed in 94, and a 1,000 636-square-foot guesthouse constructed in 1994.
• 47:10
  Speaker 1: At one point, a helipad was constructed as part of
• 47:13
  Speaker 1: a labyrinth garden. Epstein also had a private airstrip and
• 47:17
  Speaker 1: hangar built. Epstein was also accused of relocating native petroglyphs
• 47:22
  Speaker 1: on his property from one location to the next. Zorro
• 47:26
  Speaker 1: Ranch required continued upkeep and underwent frequent improvements from 1994
• 47:29
  Speaker 1: to 2019. Ranch personnel maintain regular documentation detailing maintenance requirements
• 47:37
  Speaker 1: and taskings. Maintenance, repair, renovation, and other improvements had occurred
• 47:42
  Speaker 1: on an ongoing basis over the years that Epstein owned
• 47:44
  Speaker 1: the property. The Commission has not conducted a complete accounting
• 47:49
  Speaker 1: of maintenance. The financial records relevant to the acquisition, construction, maintenance,
• 47:54
  Speaker 1: and operation of Zorro Ranch are scattered and incomplete. The
• 47:59
  Speaker 1: full scope of spending at Zorro Ranch is Total construction costs,
• 48:02
  Speaker 1: staff payroll, over the last 25 years, property tax history
• 48:06
  Speaker 1: is not available. From the EFTA documents alone, which is
• 48:10
  Speaker 1: apparent from the EFTA documents, however, is that Epstein was
• 48:14
  Speaker 1: not a passive owner of the property, but demonstrated an
• 48:17
  Speaker 1: active and purposeful interest in everything that occurred there. The
• 48:23
  Speaker 1: property comprising Zorro Ranch was purchased in 2023 by Donald Huffines.
• 48:28
  Speaker 1: and his family, who report that they had no prior
• 48:30
  Speaker 1: connection to Epstein, and state they did not visit the
• 48:33
  Speaker 1: property before he and his wife, through a limited liability corporation,
• 48:37
  Speaker 1: purchased it. The ranch was renamed San Rafael Ranch, and
• 48:42
  Speaker 1: the Huffine family announced plans to transform the property into
• 48:45
  Speaker 1: a Christian retreat. Renovations of the ranch buildings have been
• 48:49
  Speaker 1: completed and are underway. The estate was sold at a
• 48:52
  Speaker 1: public auction. The Huffine family, through their legal counsel, Indicated
• 48:57
  Speaker 1: that they'll cooperate with the commission's investigation and contact with
• 49:00
  Speaker 1: Huffine's family representatives is anticipated in the short term to
• 49:04
  Speaker 1: conduct a physical, in-person inspection of the property. Zorro Ranch
• 49:09
  Speaker 1: Communication Infrastructure The Zorro Ranch Communication Infrastructure and Internet Access
• 49:15
  Speaker 1: were partly sourced through Greg Weiler, founder of O3B Networks
• 49:19
  Speaker 1: in One Way. Bloomberg reported that Epstein served as an
• 49:23
  Speaker 1: advisor behind the funding of OneWeb. Emails show that Epstein
• 49:27
  Speaker 1: contacted Weiler for assistance in sourcing Motorola radio equipment for
• 49:31
  Speaker 1: the ranch and also consulted with Weiler on installing a
• 49:35
  Speaker 1: similar system on Little St. James. Although more sophisticated and costly,
• 49:40
  Speaker 1: than ordinary internet systems, the evidence shows that it was
• 49:43
  Speaker 1: difficult to obtain reliable broadband for such a large, remote property.
• 49:49
  Speaker 1: Two active FCC microwave licenses reportedly linked the Zorro Ranch
• 49:54
  Speaker 1: to Sandia Crest Tower, a telecommunications structure on Sandia Crest.
• 49:59
  Speaker 1: Documentation provided under the EFTA shows how the system was
• 50:03
  Speaker 1: designed and built. The ranch's original dedicated data service was
• 50:08
  Speaker 1: the Time Warner T1 line. a type of dedicated digital
• 50:11
  Speaker 1: communication line capable of transmitting 1.544 MBPS of data. By 2010,
• 50:19
  Speaker 1: the ranch was served by a Sprint T1 at $ 894. 46
• 50:23
  Speaker 1: per month against a quoted $ 393 per month for the
• 50:28
  Speaker 1: Time Warner line. In May of 2013, Jermaine Rouen, an
• 50:34
  Speaker 1: Epstein employee who also managed technology on Little St. James,
• 50:38
  Speaker 1: wrote to Epstein, with the help of Greg Weiler, Motorola
• 50:41
  Speaker 1: point-to-point radio solutions would be the best fit for Zorro Ranch.
• 50:46
  Speaker 1: Starting in 2013, Richard Boltz of Advanced Communications and Electronics,
• 50:52
  Speaker 1: a local Albuquerque company, designed and installed the satellite relay system.
• 50:57
  Speaker 1: The architecture ran from Sandia Crest over an Ethernet packet
• 51:01
  Speaker 1: radio to Epstein's main residence on Zorro Ranch. In 2014, however,
• 51:07
  Speaker 1: Epstein complained that the satellite does not work for my
• 51:10
  Speaker 1: primary purpose. It was supposed to be a backup to
• 51:13
  Speaker 1: the improved, more reliable delivery and distribution system at a
• 51:17
  Speaker 1: significant cost. Epstein subsequently demanded a return to the T1 service.
• 51:24
  Speaker 1: In April of 2016, emails between Epstein and Zorro Ranch
• 51:28
  Speaker 1: personnel discuss a fiber microwave internet connection from Sandia Crest
• 51:32
  Speaker 1: to the ranch. CenturyLink engineers confirmed fiber was 8 feet
• 51:37
  Speaker 1: from the conduit running 70 feet to CDZ's tower location
• 51:42
  Speaker 1: on Sandia Crest. Epstein received emails comparing the advantages and
• 51:47
  Speaker 1: disadvantages of licensed and unlicensed microwave systems from a company
• 51:51
  Speaker 1: called Future Tech, which proposed to design and install the system.
• 51:56
  Speaker 1: Zorro Ranch manager Bryce Gordon and Hector coordinated a project.
• 52:01
  Speaker 1: A search of the FCC's online universal licensing system shows
• 52:05
  Speaker 1: licenses were granted in July 12th of 2016. All right, folks,
• 52:10
  Speaker 1: we're going to wrap up right here. And in the
• 52:12
  Speaker 1: next episode dealing with the topic, we're going to pick
• 52:14
  Speaker 1: up where we left off. All the information that goes
• 52:17
  Speaker 1: with this episode can be found in the description box.