Jeffrey Epstein's Lawyer and Accountant Accused of Enabling Sex Trafficking in New Mexico Lawsuit

Jeffrey Epstein's longtime lawyer and accountant allegedly helped finance and conceal his sex trafficking operation, according to a civil lawsuit filed by New Mexico's attorney general on Wednesday, 21 October. The state is asking a federal court to block the pair from receiving millions of dollars from the late financier's estate.

The lawsuit against attorney Darren K. Indyke and accountant Richard D Kahn accuses them of enabling the abuse of girls and young women at Zorro Ranch, Epstein's property in Santa Fe County. The New Mexico Department of Justice describes the civil action as the first law enforcement action against either man.

Millions in Estate Payments at Stake

The state values the estate at more than $107 million (£80.25 million). Indyke and Kahn, who serve as co-executors, are potentially eligible for bequests of $50 million (£37.5 million) and $25 million (£18.75 million), respectively, depending on available funds. Their lawyers have previously said any bequest would come only after creditors and claimants have been paid.

'Jeffrey Epstein did not operate alone, and his death does not end the pursuit of accountability for the people who helped make his crimes possible,' Attorney General Raúl Torrez said.

How the Lawyer and Accountant Allegedly Enabled Epstein

The complaint alleges that the pair went beyond ordinary legal and accounting work. According to the state, both held senior positions in Epstein-linked companies, managed financial accounts and approved transactions allegedly connected to his trafficking operation. It alleges they 'arranged payments to survivors to purchase their silence'.

The state also alleges that Indyke handled the 2011 transfer of Zorro Ranch's title to a company controlled by Epstein. Between 2011 and 2019, Indyke allegedly received more than $16 million (£12 million) and Kahn more than $10 million (£7.5 million) from Epstein and related entities. These payments form part of the state's case but do not, by themselves, establish that either man knowingly facilitated abuse.

The complaint describes Zorro Ranch as a place where girls and young women were allegedly recruited, transported, isolated and sexually abused over more than two decades. It alleges that some survivors were drawn in with promises of help with education, careers or finances.

New Mexico is pursuing claims under the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act and the state's Racketeering Act. It wants the court to restrict estate payments, declare that the defendants engaged in unlawful conduct, require them to divest Epstein-related interests and award damages to survivors, including treble damages under state law. These remain requests for judicial relief, not findings already made by a court.

Survivors Julia Molchanova and Anouska De Georgiou stood alongside Torrez during the announcement. 'Survivors deserve more than promises that the truth will eventually come to light,' he said. 'They deserve an accounting of what happened.'

Both Men Deny Knowing About the Abuse

Indyke and Kahn have consistently rejected any suggestion that they played a part in Epstein's crimes. Their lawyer, Daniel Weiner, said they 'emphatically reject' the allegations and that New Mexico officials never sought to interview them before going to court. He 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,' Weiner said. In March, he said, 'Both Mr Indyke and Mr Kahn reject as categorically false the suggestion that they knowingly facilitated or assisted Mr Epstein in his sexual abuse or trafficking of women, or that they were aware of that abuse while they provided professional services for him.'

That statement came in the same month both men sat for closed-door depositions with the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which has been examining Epstein's network of associates. The New Mexico suit adds to pressure that is building on several fronts.

Last month, The Wall Street Journal reported that federal prosecutors in Manhattan had opened an investigation into the pair, although neither has been charged. In August, six women also sued the estate and both men in New York state court. In February, Epstein's estate agreed to pay up to $35 million (£26.25 million) to settle a class action in Manhattan federal court that accused the two men of aiding his trafficking. That settlement included no admission of misconduct by either of them.

A Fight That Began in 2019

New Mexico's interest in the ranch is not new. In 2019, federal prosecutors asked the state to pause its own inquiry and promised to share relevant information once their work was complete, according to a separate lawsuit the state filed against the US Justice Department in August. The state says that material was never handed over. The Justice Department says it withheld some records to avoid disclosing victims' identities.

Torrez reopened the criminal investigation earlier this year, and his office has since searched Zorro Ranch. That probe remains ongoing, and neither Indyke nor Kahn has been criminally charged.

If the court grants the state's request, the two men who oversee how Epstein's remaining fortune is distributed would be blocked from receiving their own bequests while the case continues. That would keep the money inside the estate as survivors' claims are heard.