New Mexico attorney general accuses Epstein attorney, accountant of
abuse cover-up at ranch
[October 22, 2026]
By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN and ED WHITE
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico’s attorney general filed a lawsuit
Wednesday against Jeffrey Epstein’s attorney and accountant, accusing
them of concealing his sex trafficking operation at a sprawling Santa
Fe-area ranch where the disgraced financier entertained guests.
The lawsuit seeks to stop attorney Darren Indyke and accountant Richard
Kahn from accepting any payments from Epstein's estate, estimated at
more than $100 million. They serve as coexecutors, and New Mexico
Attorney General Raúl Torrez said they “stand to benefit substantially”
from the estate unless a federal judge intervenes.
Indyke worked as Epstein’s attorney for roughly two decades. Both he and
Kahn have testified in Congress that they did not know about Epstein’s
abuse, though Torrez has a different view.
“None of this could be done by just one man,” Torrez said at a news
conference, where he stood with two of Epstein's accusers. “This was
something that was facilitated, that was made possible by handlers, by
lawyers, by accountants, by others who have yet to face real
consequences.”
In response to the lawsuit, an attorney for the pair said they
“emphatically reject” the allegations and note that New Mexico officials
never sought to interview Indyke and Kahn before going to court. Dan
Weiner said they would have cooperated.
“Not a single woman has ever accused Mr. Indyke or Mr. Kahn of
committing sexual abuse or witnessing sexual abuse, nor claimed at any
time that she or anyone else reported to them any allegation of Mr.
Epstein’s abuse,” Weiner said in an email.
The U.S. Justice Department declined to comment on any federal
investigation of Indyke or Kahn.
Epstein owned the Zorro Ranch for decades
Earlier this year, Indyke and Kahn agreed as executors of the estate to
settle a class-action lawsuit brought against them by Epstein accusers
for up to $35 million. They did not admit any wrongdoing as part of the
deal.
Torrez’s lawsuit is an effort to possibly recover more money for
victims, with New Mexico acting as the plaintiff.
Epstein purchased the Zorro Ranch in Stanley, a sparsely populated
ranching community about 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of Santa Fe, in
1993. He built a massive home on the property, which spanned thousands
of acres, and constructed several guest homes, a private airstrip and a
helipad.
Epstein died by suicide in a New York jail cell in August 2019 while
awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
His former girlfriend and close associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, is serving
a 20-year prison sentence after her 2021 conviction on sex trafficking
charges in New York. Witness testimony at Maxwell’s trial alleged she
and Epstein had sexually abused women at the ranch.
“We cannot undo what happened or return what was taken from us, but we
can demand answers,” said Epstein accuser Anouska De Georgiou. “We can
pursue justice and we can insist that wealth, power and influence never
place anyone beyond accountability.”
The Associated Press does not name people who say they were sexually
abused unless they have come forward publicly.
Indyke and Kahn played key roles, lawsuit says
The lawsuit accuses Indyke and Kahn of conspiracy and racketeering in
supporting the “Epstein Enterprise.”
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Crosses, flowers and other mementos are displayed outside Jeffrey
Epstein's former Zorro Ranch near Stanley, N.M., on April 3, 2026.
(AP Photo/Savannah Peters, File)
“They arranged payments to survivors to purchase their silence and
leave them indebted to Epstein, handled costs for expenses connected
to the abuse, monitored survivors’ spending, and prepared tax
returns for some survivors,” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit points to financial records indicating over $3 million
in payments were made — with no discernible business purpose — from
Epstein-related accounts directly to girls or women from 2003 to
2013.
Between 2013 and 2019, the lawsuit states, Indyke and Kahn
authorized and signed off on payments totaling hundreds of thousands
of dollars to “the enterprise’s sex trafficking survivors, including
those who also acted as recruiters, and other expenses including
legal fees, apartment rent and tuition.”
According to the suit, some payments were funneled through a
nonprofit that was overseen by Indyke and Kahn. The complaint states
that more than $30,000 was paid out by the C.O.U.Q. Foundation in
2012 to girls or women for purposes apparently unrelated to the
charity.
The lawsuit also notes a 2017 email from Kahn to Epstein regarding
payment of “the latest batch of medical expenses for girls.”
“At the end of the day this is not about the past. It is about the
truth. It’s about justice, and it’s about making sure that
accountability does not end with Epstein,” said Julia Molchanova,
another Epstein accuser.
No crimes were pursued in New Mexico
Epstein never faced charges in New Mexico, though the state attorney
general's office in 2019 confirmed that it was investigating and
planned to forward its findings to federal authorities in New York.
Hector Balderas, who was attorney general at the time, said New
Mexico's outdated laws failed to protect children from abuse.
Epstein was not required to register as a sex offender in New
Mexico, despite a 2008 guilty plea in Florida.
Torrez reopened the state’s investigation this year. In August, he
sued the Justice Department, accusing it of blocking the state from
investigating alleged sex crimes. The government said it was not
releasing some information to the state because disclosing
victim-identifying information would violate court orders in New
York.
Also in August, a commission established by state lawmakers to
investigate whether local authorities looked the other way, released
a 119-page report that said authorities repeatedly deferred to
investigations in New York, Palm Beach, Florida, and the Virgin
Islands, while leaving Epstein’s offenses in New Mexico unexamined
and unpunished.
Epstein’s estate sold the ranch in 2023 to the family of Don
Huffines, a Republican who is the Texas state comptroller. The money
was set aside for creditors.
Probate proceedings related to Epstein’s will and assets are being
handled in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
___
White reported from Detroit. AP reporter Mead Gruver in Fort
Collins, Colorado, contributed to this story.
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