Latest / The Epstein Chronicles / The New Mexico Epstein Commission Interim Report (Part 7) (8/9/26)
Transcript
- 0:00Speaker 1: What's up, everyone, and welcome to another episode of the
- 0:03Speaker 1: Epstein Chronicles. In this episode, we're picking up where we
- 0:07Speaker 1: left off with the Truth Commission from New Mexico and
- 0:11Speaker 1: their interim report Zoro Ranch employees. Review of EFTA and
- 0:18Speaker 1: other publicly available resources reveals only some of the personnel
- 0:22Speaker 1: employed at Zoro Ranch. Much of this information is drawn
- 0:26Speaker 1: from Epstein's email archive, which spans from May two thousand
- 0:30Speaker 1: and nine through twenty nineteen. Staff who worked there before
- 0:33Speaker 1: two thousand and nine or who were not named in emails,
- 0:37Speaker 1: are not captured here. There is little available documentation that
- 0:41Speaker 1: sheds light on Zoro Ranch personnel and operations prior to
- 0:45Speaker 1: two thousand and nine. Available information shows at Zoro Ranch
- 0:49Speaker 1: staff levels fluctuated over time, from a few as three
- 0:53Speaker 1: to as many as seven or eight. The number does
- 0:56Speaker 1: not include contractors. There were also some turnover among employees,
- 1:01Speaker 1: with many not lasting more than one or two years,
- 1:04Speaker 1: while other employees were employed for longer durations. There's no
- 1:08Speaker 1: record showing that many of the Zoro Ranch employees were
- 1:11Speaker 1: ever interviewed by the FBI or other law enforcement. The
- 1:14Speaker 1: Commission has identified many important members of Epstein's extensive Zoro
- 1:19Speaker 1: Ranch staff network, and a handful of others. However, the
- 1:23Speaker 1: number is certainly considerably larger and will no doubt grow
- 1:26Speaker 1: as review of the EFTA documents and subpoena returns continue.
- 1:31Speaker 1: Identification of Zoro Ranch staff is crucial as employees and
- 1:35Speaker 1: contractors may have information or knowledge about activity at the
- 1:39Speaker 1: ranch and the conditions and circumstances that facilitated Epstein's criminal wrongdoing. Moreover,
- 1:46Speaker 1: only a few of these employees and contractors were known
- 1:50Speaker 1: to have ever spoken to law enforcement. Zoro Ranch was
- 1:54Speaker 1: operational from the mid nineties, and key players in Epstein's orbit,
- 1:58Speaker 1: including Maxwell and dik and Khan, involved themselves in Delhi
- 2:01Speaker 1: management and operations of the ranch, as did Epstein himself.
- 2:06Speaker 1: They also gave close attention to personnel and staffing decisions.
- 2:10Speaker 1: For example, con email Debstein on September nineteenth, twenty twelve,
- 2:14Speaker 1: with the subject line Zoro payroll, in forming Epstein, I
- 2:18Speaker 1: believe that this payroll has gotten very frothy. Seems strange
- 2:21Speaker 1: that our new housekeeper, Cynthia, who's been with us for
- 2:24Speaker 1: two weeks, makes more money than Luela. Epstein and Zoro
- 2:28Speaker 1: Ranch management paid close attention to ranch employees and contractors,
- 2:33Speaker 1: and closely monitored outside contracts. They were particularly alert to
- 2:38Speaker 1: press inquiries. For instance, on March twelfth, twenty eleven, Karen
- 2:42Speaker 1: Gordon email Debstein with the subject FYI. In the email,
- 2:46Speaker 1: Gordon relaid that a reflexologist providing foot massages at the
- 2:50Speaker 1: ranch had been contacted by phone the day before by
- 2:53Speaker 1: a Los Angeles reporter who was looking for information on
- 2:57Speaker 1: GM and yourself. The ref lexologists acknowledged nothing and asked
- 3:03Speaker 1: how he got her number. Gordon had Wendy Martinez forward
- 3:07Speaker 1: the reporter's details to Epstein. Some Zora Ranch employees lived
- 3:11Speaker 1: on the ranch itself. Ranch employees were issued cell phones,
- 3:15Speaker 1: and some had use of permanent ranch vehicles. Epstein was
- 3:19Speaker 1: particular about who could and could not enter the main residence.
- 3:23Speaker 1: Some employees had access to the main residence, while Epstein
- 3:27Speaker 1: directed that other employees were disallowed entrants to the main residence.
- 3:31Speaker 1: Epstein required employees and contractors to sign non disclosure agreements,
- 3:36Speaker 1: purportedly to protect the privacy of his frequent celebrity guests.
- 3:40Speaker 1: Epstein often gave employees, including low level employees, significant annual bonuses,
- 3:46Speaker 1: sometimes comprising more than ten percent of their annual compensation. Again,
- 3:51Speaker 1: the email capture only go back to two thousand and nine,
- 3:55Speaker 1: and an understanding of Zora Ranch employees before then is
- 3:57Speaker 1: not fully disclosed. Some of the only evidence detailing activity
- 4:02Speaker 1: prior to two thousand and nine was obtained through interviews
- 4:05Speaker 1: of a reflexologist and massage therapist, both of whom were
- 4:09Speaker 1: retained through outside contacts to provide services on an as
- 4:12Speaker 1: needed basis. Keysoro Ranch employees thus far identified include the following.
- 4:18Speaker 1: Bryce Gordon. Gordon is a New Zealand national who co
- 4:22Speaker 1: managed Epstein's New Mexico and Virgin Island properties alongside his
- 4:26Speaker 1: wife Karen from approximately two thousand and three to twenty nineteen.
- 4:31Speaker 1: Originally based at Zorro Ranch before relocating to Little Saint
- 4:34Speaker 1: James by twenty sixteen, Gordon and his wife were responsible
- 4:39Speaker 1: for ranch operations and maintenance, including oversight of employees and contractors,
- 4:44Speaker 1: vehicle maintenance, and construction projects. The FBI interviewed Gordon on
- 4:49Speaker 1: February eighth, two thousand and seven. Gordon stated he had
- 4:53Speaker 1: worked on Zorro Ranch for four years. He stated that
- 4:57Speaker 1: there were five to six full time employees and n
- 5:00Speaker 1: some seasonal employees. He stated that Epstein spent approximately fifty
- 5:04Speaker 1: days a year on the ranch, usually in the summer.
- 5:07Speaker 1: He would show up with twenty four to forty eight
- 5:09Speaker 1: hours notice, staying for two to three weeks at a time.
- 5:12Speaker 1: Epstein arrived by aircraft Albuquerque or Santa Fe and would
- 5:16Speaker 1: be driven to the ranch. He was accompanied by his
- 5:19Speaker 1: personal assistant, his bodyguard, his personal trainer, and sometimes his messuses.
- 5:25Speaker 1: He traveled around the ranch by helicopter. Gordon was directed
- 5:29Speaker 1: to build a spa massage place on Little Saint James
- 5:32Speaker 1: Island and also had knowledge of Epstein's ballet and massage
- 5:36Speaker 1: room construction on Little Saint James Island. Records also show
- 5:40Speaker 1: that nineteen panels of soft Sounds Class A studio foam
- 5:45Speaker 1: soundproofing material costing fifty seven hundred was shipped to Gordon.
- 5:49Speaker 1: Deutsche Bank wire transfers indicate that Gordon received approximately two
- 5:54Speaker 1: hundred thousand a year through a company called Lee Mackenzie
- 5:57Speaker 1: Consultants LLC. In a June twenty first, two thousand and
- 6:01Speaker 1: nine email, Epstein chastises Marsenkova for treating Gordon disrespectfully and
- 6:06Speaker 1: suggests Gordon threatened to quit ros Alt. Epstein did not
- 6:09Speaker 1: want Epstein made Gordon a bequest of two million through
- 6:13Speaker 1: his August twenty nineteen trust. Karen Gordon Gordon is a
- 6:19Speaker 1: New Zealand national who co managed Epstein's property alongside her
- 6:22Speaker 1: husband Bryce Gordon. Originally based in Zoro Ranch before locating
- 6:26Speaker 1: to Little Saint James. By twenty sixteen, she was involved
- 6:30Speaker 1: in the day to day operation and logistics for Epstein's
- 6:33Speaker 1: island the States through twenty nineteen. Carlos Delgado. Delgado was
- 6:39Speaker 1: its ZDC employee who was hired July sixteenth, twenty twelve.
- 6:43Speaker 1: In an email to Epstein dated June twelfth, twenty twelve,
- 6:47Speaker 1: Bryce Gordon sel Delgado was hired as seasonal help. He
- 6:51Speaker 1: stated that Delgado was not to work in the main house.
- 6:54Speaker 1: His wife, Norma, was briefly employed July sixteenth, twenty twelve,
- 6:59Speaker 1: till August twelfth, twenty twelve, with the idea that she
- 7:02Speaker 1: and her husband were to reside on the ranch in
- 7:04Speaker 1: a partially furnished house. Monalito Royal Royal was employed by
- 7:10Speaker 1: ZDC as a Zoro Ranch staff member from January first,
- 7:14Speaker 1: nineteen ninety six, until June twenty twelve. Mannalito was involved
- 7:18Speaker 1: in operational and maintenance matters such as receiving estimates for
- 7:22Speaker 1: home repair, pool maintenance, vehicle maintenance, and picking up visitors
- 7:26Speaker 1: from the Santa Fe Airport. On October eighth, twenty ten,
- 7:30Speaker 1: Epstein was informed by email that Manalito had relocated a
- 7:34Speaker 1: rock carving found on Zoro Ranch and that as of
- 7:37Speaker 1: December two thousand and eight, all rock art on Zoro
- 7:40Speaker 1: had been recorded with the Archaeological Society of New Mexico
- 7:44Speaker 1: Rock Art Council. One of Manalito's regular duties was to
- 7:48Speaker 1: check and clean guns on a weekly basis. This responsibility
- 7:52Speaker 1: was communicated to Manalito by written checklists by ranch management.
- 7:58Speaker 1: James and Nina had at the Hadadas were husband and
- 8:02Speaker 1: wife interviewed as replacements for addition to the Gordons. It
- 8:08Speaker 1: was contemplated that they manage at least some of the ranch.
- 8:11Speaker 1: It's not clear whether they were ever employed. Amber Chavez
- 8:15Speaker 1: Chavez was a ZDC employee who has hired August twenty seventh,
- 8:19Speaker 1: twenty twelve, as a security guard, according to an FBI
- 8:23Speaker 1: Tactical Intelligence report dated August twelfth, twenty twenty. On June sixteenth,
- 8:28Speaker 1: twenty twenty, a man and woman from Martisia, New Mexico,
- 8:32Speaker 1: attempted to burgle the Zoro Ranch property. The couple attempted
- 8:36Speaker 1: to break into a storage container at the Zoro Ranch property.
- 8:40Speaker 1: Property security guards Amber Chavez and Cynthia Canoe contacted the
- 8:45Speaker 1: Santa Fe County Sheriff's Department, leading to the burglar's arrest.
- 8:49Speaker 1: Steve Chavez Chavez was a ZDC employee who has hired
- 8:53Speaker 1: October nineteenth, two thousand and nine. In an email dated
- 8:56Speaker 1: June eleventh, twenty eighteen, from a person whose name was
- 9:00Speaker 1: redacted to Larry Vasaski, Leslie Groff, Darrenendike, Richard Kahn, Bella Klein,
- 9:06Speaker 1: Carlous Volrak, and Steve Chavez, the Center acknowledges receipt of
- 9:10Speaker 1: an old email from Larry Vasaski informing we will depart
- 9:14Speaker 1: Santa Fe at seven pm tonight Monday arrival Atlantic PB
- 9:17Speaker 1: one twelve fifteen AM and two one two JAE. These
- 9:23Speaker 1: flightplans were later changed to reflect a different departure and
- 9:27Speaker 1: arrival time on June twelfth, twenty eighteen. Cynthia Canoe Canoe
- 9:32Speaker 1: was a ZDC employee who was hired September fourth, twenty twelve,
- 9:36Speaker 1: to be a housekeeper. In an email from Epstein to
- 9:39Speaker 1: a person whose name was redacted what appears to be
- 9:41Speaker 1: Karen Gordon, Caneau was hired to be a housekeeper with
- 9:44Speaker 1: the understanding that she would live off site and would
- 9:47Speaker 1: provide would be provided a cell phone. Bradley Royster. Royster
- 9:52Speaker 1: was a ZDC employee who was hired September seventeenth, twenty twelve.
- 9:57Speaker 1: He was employed as a ranch hand and lived on
- 9:59Speaker 1: the ranch. He was terminated March tenth, twenty thirteen, due
- 10:03Speaker 1: to ranch operation restructuring. Prior to his termination, Karen Gordon
- 10:08Speaker 1: and Darren Indyke exchanged emails. Endyke sought information about Royster's
- 10:13Speaker 1: employment and about the accounts and sensitive material he could
- 10:16Speaker 1: access before approving the termination. Wendy Martinez Martinez worked as
- 10:22Speaker 1: staff member for Epstein from twenty eleven until June twenty twelve,
- 10:27Speaker 1: when she resigned by email. She worked directly with Epstein
- 10:31Speaker 1: on matters relating to ranch maintenance and operation. She also
- 10:35Speaker 1: communicated with Richard Kahn on matters related to property management.
- 10:39Speaker 1: She exchanged emails with Sarah Kelln and others regarding Epstein
- 10:43Speaker 1: flight plans, guest arrivals, and supplies For example, on July seven,
- 10:48Speaker 1: twenty eleven, she exchanged emails with Sarah probably Sarah Kelln
- 10:52Speaker 1: regarding lodgings for Epstein's guest and Aspen, Colorado venture capitalists
- 10:57Speaker 1: and longtime Epstein associate Joe Pagano. On June eighteenth, twenty twelve,
- 11:02Speaker 1: Martinez resigned without notice, dating I have always enjoyed my
- 11:06Speaker 1: job and all aspects of it. I feel that I
- 11:09Speaker 1: was an asset here for you and your guests. Unfortunately,
- 11:13Speaker 1: there are other people that think differently, and they have
- 11:15Speaker 1: done their best to make sure I do not further
- 11:17Speaker 1: myself here or you. I can no longer do my
- 11:20Speaker 1: job at one hundred percent with the controlling, deceitful, demeaning
- 11:24Speaker 1: and distrusting ways that are put in front of me daily.
- 11:27Speaker 1: It was mentally and physically exhausting me and making me sick.
- 11:31Speaker 1: So I will walk away from here so that these
- 11:33Speaker 1: people can control your ranch as they see fit. Wendy
- 11:37Speaker 1: none None was a Zoro Ranch employee with a higher
- 11:41Speaker 1: date of January tenth, two thousand and five, who is
- 11:43Speaker 1: employed at least through twenty ten. Little else is known
- 11:47Speaker 1: about her. Grinna Shuliac Shuliac a Belarus native and naturalized
- 11:53Speaker 1: US citizen was a dentist who was a report of
- 11:55Speaker 1: the Epstein's girlfriend. While Shuliac was not a formal salaried
- 11:59Speaker 1: employe of Epstein, she did hold roles that were functionally
- 12:03Speaker 1: part of Epstein's personal and business operation. Epstein used his
- 12:07Speaker 1: influence and prominence of a five to ten million dollar
- 12:10Speaker 1: donation to get Schuliac admitted to Columbia University's dental school
- 12:14Speaker 1: after she was initially rejected. A DOJ document chose. Epstein
- 12:19Speaker 1: made six hundred and thirty one thousand intuition payments to
- 12:21Speaker 1: Shuliac alone. Shuliac was the largest individual beneficiary of Epstein's estate.
- 12:28Speaker 1: In Epstein's final trust August eight, twenty nineteen, Shuliac received
- 12:32Speaker 1: fifty million in cash plus a fifty million dollar annuity
- 12:36Speaker 1: all six Epstein properties, with five million dollars in operating
- 12:40Speaker 1: funds per property, forty eight loose diamonds, and thirty two
- 12:45Speaker 1: zero point seventy three carrot d vs one diamond ring.
- 12:48Speaker 1: Between twenty thirteen and twenty sixteen, Shuliac's parents in Belarus
- 12:53Speaker 1: received at least eighty thousand from Epstein. Shuliac was reportedly
- 12:57Speaker 1: the last person Epstein called from prison before his death.
- 13:01Speaker 1: Massage therapists and messuses. The messuses were not normally flown
- 13:05Speaker 1: to the ranch, but were hired by Epstein's assistants, who
- 13:08Speaker 1: also kept financial records and usually arranged the massages. The
- 13:12Speaker 1: names of the messuses were obtained from ten thousand Waves
- 13:16Speaker 1: day SPA or by referrals. The assistant name redacted said
- 13:20Speaker 1: that the messuses are all checked out and that they
- 13:23Speaker 1: are all professionals who were licensed massage therapists. Approximately five
- 13:27Speaker 1: different therapists were used in the past. The working in
- 13:31Speaker 1: personal relationships among those responsible for management and operation of
- 13:35Speaker 1: Zora Ranch were primarily among Epstein, Maxwell In, Dyke, Kahan, Groff,
- 13:40Speaker 1: Kellen Marsenkova, Bryce and Karen, Gordon, Larry Vasoski, and Rogers.
- 13:46Speaker 1: A chart representing these relationships is depicted below. All right, folks,
- 13:51Speaker 1: we're gonna wrap up right there, and in the next
- 13:53Speaker 1: episode dealing with the topic, we're going to pick up
- 13:55Speaker 1: where we left off. All the information that goes with
- 13:58Speaker 1: this episode can be found in the description box.