Lawsuit filed in federal court

New Mexico's attorney general, Raúl Torrez, announced on Wednesday, 21 October, a civil lawsuit against Darren Indyke, Jeffrey Epstein's longtime personal attorney, and Richard Kahn, his accountant. The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico and also names Epstein's estate and the 1953 Trust as defendants. Torrez presented the case at a press conference, and the office relies on the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act alongside the New Mexico Racketeering Act. In a statement, Torrez said the people who enabled the abuse of girls and young women should answer for it.

“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.”

Alleged role in the abuse

Epstein ran an abuse ring for years, and the lawsuit alleges that Indyke and Kahn knowingly took part in the trafficking enterprise. The attorney is alleged to have arranged hush-money payments to victims. The accountant is alleged to have processed spending on lingerie, hairdressing and medical appointments. The complaint also says the two authorized transactions tied to the operation, including the 2011 transfer of the Zorro Ranch title to a company Epstein controlled. Epstein bought the ranch near Santa Fe in 1993 and built a mansion there, and the suit places the abuse of girls and women at the property.

Money flows and the estate

According to the complaint, Indyke received more than $16 million from Epstein and related entities between 2011 and 2019, while Kahn's receipts from the same sources topped $10 million. Both men are beneficiaries of the trust and co-executors of the estate, and they stand to collect millions more from it. The estate and trust together hold assets valued at more than $100 million. Torrez's office wants to stop estate payments to the two men, restrict their power to authorize and receive those payments, and secure damages for survivors.

Survivors and denials

A joint statement from six survivors said Epstein's operation depended on an appearance of legitimacy and on money structured to avoid exposing his crimes. The survivors described the two men as the people most responsible for that appearance and structure. Both men have vehemently denied any part in Epstein's crimes and any knowledge of them. Torrez defended the suit by arguing that those who allegedly enabled the exploitation should not profit from it.

“Those who allegedly enabled this exploitation should not be allowed to profit from it while survivors continue to live with its consequences.”