Cedar Crest, New Mexico – New Mexico’s Attorney General filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday, alleging that it obstructed the state’s investigation into sexual offenses at Jeffrey Epstein’s former ranch.

A lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., also alleges that Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche attempted to obstruct the criminal investigation into Epstein and others being conducted by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, and took actions that undermined the public interest and harmed victims.

This lawsuit sought judicial intervention to compel the federal government to hand over materials to New Mexico investigators regarding the individual who committed suicide in a New York City federal jail in August 2019, after having been denied bail on sex trafficking charges following his arrest a month earlier.

Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend and close associate, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2021 on charges of sex trafficking. Witness testimony also alleged that Maxwell and Epstein sexually exploited women at their New Mexico farmhouse.

The Department of Justice has stated that it is complying with orders for the protection of victims.