Epstein lawyer and accountant ‘knowingly participated’ in his sex trafficking, New Mexico AG claims in suit
Por Alex Woodward — – World RSS Feed
Epstein lawyer and accountant ‘knowingly participated’ in his sex trafficking, New Mexico AG claims in suit
Attorney General Raúl Torrez targets Darren Indyke and Richard Kahn in first state enforcement action against Epstein associates
Alex Woodward in New York Wednesday 21 October 2026 18:18 BST
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New Mexico’s attorney general has filed a federal lawsuit against Jeffrey Epstein’s attorney and accountant, who are accused of having “knowingly participated in” the sex offender’s alleged sex trafficking enterprise.
Epstein’s longtime personal attorney Darren Indyke and accountant Richard Kahn “knowingly participated” in Epstein’s abuse and used their positions of power and access to Epstein’s accounts and companies to finance and conceal it, according to the office of state Attorney General Raúl Torrez.
The men “helped facilitate, finance and conceal” Epstein’s alleged crimes, including alleged abuse of young women and girls at the wealthy and well-connected sex offender’s Zorro Ranch in Santa Fe County.
The lawsuit, which was announced at a press conference Wednesday, also names the Epstein estate. Both men are beneficiaries of the trust and co-executors of the estate. The office is bringing the suit under federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act and the New Mexico Racketeering Act.
“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,” Torrez said in a statement announcing the lawsuit.
open image in gallery“The allegations in this lawsuit describe a network of people and financial arrangements that helped sustain and conceal the abuse of vulnerable girls and young women, including here in New Mexico,” he added. “Those who allegedly enabled this exploitation should not be allowed to profit from it while survivors continue to live with its consequences.”
The Independent has requested comment from legal representatives for Indyke and Kahn.
According to the complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico, Indyke and Kahn “authorized transactions connected to the trafficking operation,” including the 2011 transfer of Zorro Ranch title to a company Epstein controlled.
Between 2011 and 2019, Indyke received more than $16 million from Epstein and related entities, and Kahn received more than $10 million, according to the complaint. They stand to receive millions of dollars from the estate.
Epstein’s operation “depended on the appearance of legitimacy and access to money carefully structured to avoid exposing his crimes,” according to a joint statement from six survivors of his abuse.
“This lawsuit is aimed at the two men most responsible for that appearance and structure,” they added.
“Epstein handsomely rewarded their value and loyalty” and they now “occupy a position of profound and deeply troubling conflict: helping determine what victims receive while standing to gain what is left over after the victims are paid for their damages,” survivors added.
open image in galleryTorrez’s office separately sued Donald Trump’s Department of Justice for “complete and unredacted access” to files stemming from investigations into Epstein for the state’s own criminal probe into alleged crimes at Zorro Ranch.
The attorney general has accused the Trump administration of obstructing access to evidence in connection with the state’s investigation into the 26,700 square foot hilltop mansion in Santa Fe County that was once owned by Epstein.
The property is referenced thousands of times in the Epstein files, and Torrez’s office says the Justice Department has ignored at least 10 requests for access to the documents.
Indyke and Kahn have previously denied having any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and have not been criminally accused of wrongdoing.
In March, they testified to members of Congress that federal investigators never interviewed them about their late client, raising questions about the depth and scope of Department of Justice probes into the disgraced financier.
During his testimony to the House Oversight Committee, Indyke said he had “no knowledge whatsoever” of Epstein’s crimes and categorically denied facilitating the trafficking of women and girls.
Asked whether he considered leaving Epstein after learning that he pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor, Khan said he ultimately decided to continue working for him to support his family, and that he believed Epstein when he told Khan “this would never happen again.”
open image in galleryAs executors of Epstein’s estate, Indyke and Khan have helped negotiate settlements in lawsuits brought by survivors of Epstein’s abuse.
His estate was valued as much as $650 million at the time of his death in July 2019. The estate established a compensation fund that has paid out more than $120 million to survivors, and his remaining assets were recently valued at roughly $127 million, according to an October 2025 court filing.
Both men are reportedly at the center of a Justice Department probe, though the scope of an alleged investigation and whether any charges are being considered is unclear. Investigators appear to be examining their handling of financial and legal matters involving young women that may have obscured Epstein’s crimes, according to people familiar with the interviews who spoke to The Wall Street Journal earlier this year.
There have been no other arrests in the U.S. in connection with Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence after she was found guilty of recruiting and grooming young women and girls.
The protracted release of the so-called Epstein files has accelerated demands for additional investigations and prosecutions, and members of Congress have issued subpoenas for interviews with high-profile figures, former employees and administration officials connected to Epstein.
The House Oversight Committee has also performed a series of interviews with survivors, whose testimony has led to criminal referrals to at least two people connected to Epstein.
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