Billionaire’s New Mexico ranch linked to investigation

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico ranch owned by Jeffrey Epstein has become tied to an investigation by the state attorney general’s office into the financier.

New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas’ office has confirmed that it has interviewed possible victims of Epstein who visited the sprawling Zorro Ranch south of Santa Fe, where Epstein built a home in the 1990s.

Epstein, who pleaded not guilty this week to federal sex trafficking charges in New York, has not faced criminal charges in New Mexico.

But the scandal surrounding him has still sent a jolt through the state as it comes under scrutiny for laws that allowed him to avoid registering as a sex offender following a guilty plea a decade ago in Florida.

Balderas says his office planned to forward findings to federal authorities.