New Mexico authorities search Zorro Ranch formerly owned by Epstein | CNN Politics

Authorities in New Mexico launched a search this week of a sprawling ranch formerly owned by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which has come under renewed interest after allegations surrounding the estate were included in files recently released by the US Justice Department. The New Mexico Department of Justice announced the Monday morning search of the property, known as Zorro Ranch, in a brief statement posted to its website. It is part of the criminal investigation announced by state authorities last month into allegations of illegal activity surrounding the ranch at the time Epstein, who died in 2019, owned it. The statement did not indicate whether anything of interest has been found during the search or how long it is expected to continue. The ranch had previously not been subject to the same level of law enforcement scrutiny as Epstein’s other properties in New York, South Florida and the Caribbean. But following the release of troves of federal government files related to Epstein, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez ordered the reopening of the state’s criminal investigation into the property, which he said closed in 2019 at the request of federal prosecutor