Zorro Ranch investigation sparks action on outdated sex crime laws
PHOTO BY ROBERTO E. ROSALES VIA GETTY IMAGES
By Jackie Appel, Investigative Reporter
A technicality in New Mexico’s legal code allowed one of the most notorious sex traffickers in modern history to operate inconspicuously in the state for decades. This year, lawmakers are taking steps to close that loophole.
On June 30, 2008, Jeffrey Epstein plead guilty to soliciting prostitution and procuring a minor for prostitution in the state of Florida. Considering what is now known about Epstein’s vast trafficking empire, the charges seem ludicrously small, especially considering the fact that the jail time to which he was sentenced was served in large part from the comfort of his own home and an office he controlled.
However, the sentencing did accomplish one very important thing: it forced Epstein to register as a sex offender.
Typically, this would be a significant step towards keeping people safe from a man like Epstein. Sex offenders are often barred from living in or working near certain places, and they need to let state governments know they are in the vicinity any time they set up residence across state lines.
Except, as it turns out, that wasn’t true in New Mexico, where Epstein owned and maintained his massive Zorro Ranch property from 1993 until 2019. Following his 2008 conviction, Peter Schoenburg—one of Epstein’s lawyers—noticed a loophole in New Mexico’s laws that meant he would not need to register as a sex offender in the state, even though his conviction required him to register in Florida and New York, where he also owned property.
That loophole remains open to this day. Now, legislators are trying to close it.
Slipping through the cracks
As the Santa Fe New Mexican reported earlier this month, State Rep. Meredith Dixon (D-Albuquerque) said she intends to introduce “a comprehensive package for victims and survivors” during the next legislative session in 2027. She is working closely with Attorney General Raúl Torrez, who she credits with “spearheading this effort.”
Most central to the Epstein case, the package would increase the protected age listed for victims of sexual crimes from 16 to 18. In doing so, legislators would finally close the loophole Epstein used to avoid registering as a sex offender in the state.
While the actual age of Epstein’s victim in his 2008 conviction is disputed, court documents list her as 17 at the time when she was sexually abused by Epstein — and that distinction played a major role in how Epstein got around the court order to register as a sex offender in every state he maintained residence.
In Florida, where Epstein was convicted, the law required him to register as a sex offender for “procuring [a] person under [the] age of 18 for prostitution.” In New Mexico, the closest similar statute is called “sexual exploitation of children by prostitution.” While this sounds like it might be even more all-encompassing than the Florida law, the text specifies that in order for the statute to apply, the victim must be “a child under the age of sixteen.” In Epstein’s case, that meant that the charge of soliciting prostitution from a minor could not legally have been levied against Epstein in the state of New Mexico because his victim was 17, and thus, the state’s registration requirements did not apply.
It was this technicality Epstein’s attorneys leaned on, and ultimately, they convinced state officials that Epstein did not have to register as a sex offender. The decision kept him off local law enforcement’s radar as he built his trafficking empire, where he used his wealth and influence to oversee the abuse of over 1,000 victims — at least 30 of which were assaulted at Zorro Ranch.
Building a safer future
While closing the loophole does little to those who have already been harmed, lawmakers believe correcting the law would do a world of good to protect potential future victims from suffering the same fate as those who were abused by Epstein.
The package compiled by Dixon and Torrez has several objectives beyond simply closing the ‘Epstein loophole,’ many of which fall under the umbrella of aligning New Mexico more closely with federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) standards by adding and updating crucial definitions to relevant statutes.
“The [original] reason that I was interested in making the updates to SORNA was actually from a budgetary perspective, because the fact that New Mexico is out of compliance with the federal standards means we are not able to access certain grant monies that we could use to support victims” Dixon told COURIER. “We have not kept up with the changing times. So a lot of our definitions and registry requirements are either outdated or they’re too lax compared to other states. Our effort is to bring our standards up to get us closer to compliance with what the federal standards want.”
Unlike most reporting around Epstein — which is often scandalous and attention-grabbing — the legislative package will be decidedly dull, as it will deal mainly with tweaks to the language and definitions in existing statues. But these small changes (which should be released to the public sometime in October) could mean a world of difference for victims trying to get justice.For example, Dixon said the package will attempt to change the language of the statute outlining who must register as a sex offender.
“I think [one of] the most important [changes] that we are trying to [make] is add sex trafficking. So, if you are convicted of sex trafficking, that would be an offense for which you would need to register as a sex offender,” Dixon explained.
“Right now, it is not a definition that is encompassed in our statute, so that is something that we need to add,” she continued. “There’s exploitation, solicitation, incest, enticement. And there’s sexual exploitation of children by prostitution, but not [sex trafficking].”
The package Dixon and Torrez have compiled heavily focuses on adjusting statutes that could allow perpetrators to operate in the state of New Mexico in much the same way that Epstein did. But Dixon and Torrez intend for it to have broader implications that protect even more potential victims.
“One of the bills that is going to be included is allowing victims — especially child victims — to refuse a pre-trial interview,” Dixon told COURIER. As of right now, victims of trafficking cannot bow out of pre-trial interviews, potentially subjecting them to extended and numerous sessions of answering questions that have the potential to bring their traumas back to the forefront of their minds. “If the defense counsel wants to interview a child victim five times, they’re allowed to do that, and all of that’s before trial.”
Another piece of legislation is focused on removing barriers for victims coming forward to report instances of human trafficking, namely, removing the 10-year statute of limitations. “I think we know now that victims frequently are not ready to speak immediately,” Dixon said, “and so we need to allow them additional time.”
As for why officials seem to have chosen now as the time to finally address many of these concerns, Dixon (perhaps macabrely) credits the recent increased visibility of the Epstein case.
“I have run legislation and worked with colleagues to amend SORNA in the past, and it hasn’t made it to the House floor,” she said. “Now, with everything that’s going on with the Epstein Commission looking at Zorro Ranch and this loophole, I think there’s a better understanding — by legislators and members of the public — of exactly why we need to make some of the changes that we’ve been asking for.”
“I’m very optimistic,” she said, regarding the chances of the package passing during the next legislative session, which will take place at the beginning of 2027.
Hopefully, for the sake of potential future victims, she’s right.
COURIER’s newly-launched Epstein investigation project
For too long, the Epstein Class has dealt in wealth, power, and politics to avoid accountability and deny victims & survivors their due justice. The public deserves the truth, but the Trump Administration is failing its legal obligation to deliver it.
That’s why we’re expanding our coverage to follow the money and investigate the power players in and outside the government. With a new database by Thorian AI, we have unprecedented access and ability to navigate more than 1.2M files and we’re sharing access—and what we’re finding—with you.
Subscribe to The Cover-Up and get one concise, easy-to-read email a week that cuts through the noise with the headlines you need and the breakdowns you want.
By staying plugged in and leveraging our reporting to make your own calls-to-action louder, together, we can turn information into justice.
