New Mexico Department of Justice spokesperson Lauren Rodriguez said it had requested from the U.S. Justice Department an unredacted copy of an email in 2019 containing the allegation. ADVERTISEMENTThe U.S. Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In an interview on Wednesday, New Mexico State Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard said her office had found the redacted email during a recent search of the latest Epstein file release. Garcia Richard, in a February 10 letter to the U.S. Justice Department and a statement, called on federal and state justice officials to fully investigate allegations of criminality on Epstein's ranch and state lands adjacent to it. Epstein leased around 1,243 acres (503 hectares) of state lands around the ranch in 1993.

Source: The Telegraph February 19, 2026 06:11 UTC