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New Mexico sues Epstein lawyer, accountant to block estate payouts

Attorney General Raúl Torrez alleges Jeffrey Epstein's longtime lawyer and accountant knowingly helped finance and conceal his sex trafficking, including at Zorro Ranch. These are civil allegations; a lawyer for the two men called the suit "baseless."

By Rowan Ashby Published 22.10.26 02:44 UTC 6 min read

Exterior of the Pete V. Domenici United States Courthouse in downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico — AllenS / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain · Source

Key takeaways

New Mexico sues Epstein lawyer and accountant: Attorney General Raúl Torrez filed a civil lawsuit on October 21, 2026, against Jeffrey Epstein's longtime lawyer Darren Indyke and accountant Richard Kahn, the co-executors of his estate.
The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico, alleges the two men knowingly helped finance and conceal Epstein's sex trafficking, including at Zorro Ranch in Santa Fe County. These are civil allegations, not criminal charges.
The state wants a court to block estate payments to the two men while the case proceeds. According to the attorney general's office, the estate is worth more than $107 million and the men are eligible for bequests of $50 million and $25 million.
A lawyer for Indyke and Kahn said they "emphatically reject" the allegations and called the suit "baseless."

New Mexico sues Epstein lawyer and accountant: what happened

New Mexico sues Epstein lawyer Darren Indyke and accountant Richard Kahn: the state's civil lawsuit, filed on October 21, 2026, alleges the co-executors helped finance and conceal Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking. It asks a court to block estate payments to them while the case proceeds.

The defendants are Darren K. Indyke, Epstein's personal attorney for about two decades, and Richard D. Kahn, his accountant. The Estate of Jeffrey Epstein and the 1953 Trust, which holds the estate's assets, are also named, according to the state's press release.

The state brings claims under the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act and the New Mexico Racketeering Act. The complaint alleges that Epstein ran a sex trafficking enterprise and that Indyke and Kahn knowingly took part in it. It says they used their roles and Epstein's accounts and companies to fund and hide the abuse. None of these claims has been tested in court.

"Jeffrey Epstein did not operate alone, and his death does not end the pursuit of accountability," Torrez said in the release. He added that "those who allegedly enabled this exploitation should not be allowed to profit from it."

What the lawsuit alleges and seeks

The numbers below come from the attorney general's office and the complaint as it described them. They are allegations and estimates, not court findings.

Item	Figure or claim	Source
Estate value (as of June 30, 2026)	More than $107 million	NM Department of Justice; complaint as reported by Newsweek
Estate value (August 2019)	About $577.7 million (reported)	Complaint as reported by Newsweek
Bequest Indyke is eligible for	$50 million, if funds allow	NM Department of Justice
Bequest Kahn is eligible for	$25 million, if funds allow	NM Department of Justice
Payments to Indyke from Epstein and related entities, 2011–2019 (alleged)	More than $16 million	NM Department of Justice
Payments to Kahn from Epstein and related entities, 2011–2019 (alleged)	More than $10 million	NM Department of Justice

The state is asking the court to:

block estate payments to Indyke and Kahn while the case proceeds, and limit their power to approve or receive them;
declare that they took part in racketeering and trafficking in breach of state and federal law;
order them to give up Epstein-related interests and restrict some future investments;
award compensatory and punitive damages, restitution and disgorgement for survivors, including treble damages under state racketeering law.

The release also alleges that Indyke handled the 2011 transfer of Zorro Ranch's title to a company Epstein controlled. Torrez told reporters the two men "stand to benefit substantially" unless a court steps in, AP reported. "Those resources rightfully belong in the hands of survivors," he said.

The defence: "baseless" and "categorically false"

Daniel Weiner, a lawyer for Indyke and Kahn, said in an emailed statement quoted by Newsweek that his clients "emphatically reject" the claim that they were complicit in or knowingly helped Epstein's abuse or trafficking.

He said no woman has ever accused either man of committing or witnessing abuse. He also said the attorney general's office never asked to interview them before "filing this baseless lawsuit." According to Weiner, both men have given depositions in civil cases, testified to the House Oversight Committee and cooperated with investigations. He said they are "confident that they will prevail." CBS News reported the same statement from the men's lawyers.

In earlier testimony to Congress, Indyke and Kahn said they did not know about Epstein's crimes beyond his 2008 guilty plea to a prostitution charge, CBS News reported.

What we know and what we don't know yet

Confirmed

The suit was filed on October 21, 2026, in federal court in New Mexico, according to the state's release.
It is a civil case. No new criminal charges were announced, Newsweek reported.
Torrez said a state criminal investigation, reopened earlier this year, is still ongoing.
The defendants deny the allegations.

Not yet known

When a judge will hear the request to freeze payments, or how it will rule.
Whether the estate or the trust will respond separately from Indyke and Kahn.
How any damages would be shared among survivors if the state wins.
Whether the criminal inquiry will lead to charges. Officials have not said.

Background: Zorro Ranch and the Epstein estate

Epstein bought Zorro Ranch in 1993. It lies near Stanley, about 30 miles (48 km) south of Santa Fe. He built a mansion with a private airstrip and helipad there, according to AP. The complaint describes the ranch as a place where girls and young women were recruited, isolated and abused over more than two decades.

New Mexico's attorney general's office opened an inquiry in 2019 but paused it at the request of federal prosecutors in New York, according to the state. Epstein died in federal custody in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. The medical examiner ruled his death a suicide. Epstein never faced charges in New Mexico. Torrez reopened the state inquiry in February 2026.

The estate sold the ranch in 2023, with proceeds going to creditors, AP reported. In February 2026, the estate agreed to pay up to $35 million to settle a class action in Manhattan. That suit accused Indyke and Kahn of helping Epstein build the corporate and banking setup that hid his abuse, NBC News reported. The co-executors denied wrongdoing in that case.

The suit is one of several high-profile civil cases moving through US courts this week. In Miami, a federal magistrate judge ordered President Donald Trump to answer questions under oath by December 11 in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC.

What it means

The case moves the fight over Epstein's remaining money into a new court. If a judge grants the freeze, Indyke and Kahn could not collect their bequests while the case runs. That could take months or years.

The suit also tests how far states can use racketeering and anti-trafficking laws against people who provided professional services, rather than those accused of direct abuse. Survivors who supported the filing see it as a route to the estate's remaining assets. The defence says the claims rest on no direct evidence.

For wider context on U.S. legal and political news this week, see our coverage of the "No Kings" protests ahead of the midterms, the release of U.S. citizen Stephen Hubbard, and our global protest tracker.

Frequently asked questions

Who did New Mexico sue over Jeffrey Epstein?

Attorney General Raúl Torrez sued Darren Indyke, Epstein's longtime lawyer, and Richard Kahn, his accountant, who are co-executors of the estate. The estate and the 1953 Trust are also named.