Jeffrey Epstein’s Zorro Ranch in New Mexico has been bought by an ultra-conservative Texas businessman and politician who plans to convert it into a Christian retreat center.
Albuquerque TV station KRQE reported Feb. 17 that Don Huffines now owns the infamous ranch near Stanley, N.M., located east of Albuquerque and north of Moriarty.
Huffines, who currently is running to become Texas comptroller, posted his plans on X Monday: “What the enemy once meant for evil, God can redeem for good.”
Don Huffines
Huffines said he has renamed the property “San Rafael Ranch,” after the saint associated with physical and spiritual healing.
New Mexico legislators have launched an investigation into alleged sexual abuse at the ranch — which has a much lower-profile in the Epstein saga than his former island retreat. The state legislators have created a “Truth Commission,” which held its first meeting on Tuesday.
“New Mexico is acting where the federal government is failing to do so,” said U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury, a Democrat.
KRQE explained: “This comes after years of allegations, including sexual assault, trafficking, and criminal activity at Zorro Ranch, that include prominent names like former Gov. Bill Richardson. On Monday, lawmakers fast-tracked a resolution, HR-1, to create a Truth Commission to investigate the case.”
State Rep. Andrea Romero, a Democrat from Santa Fe, said: “This Truth Commission will finally fill in the gaps of what we need to know as a public by investigating the failures that led to the horrific allegations of abuse and crime at Zorro Ranch, so we can learn from them and prevent these atrocities from taking place ever again in our state.”
She added: “With what is already publicly available in the files there are allegations that folks were as young as small children, toddlers, toddler-aged children that were at the ranch who were abused, all the way to teenage girls.”
Prince Andrew is among the celebrities who visited the 8,000-acre ranch.
Huffines co-owns and operates Huffines Communities, a real estate development company in the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex. He represented District 16 in the Texas Senate from 2015 to 2019 but lost his re-election campaign in 2018. He ran for governor of Texas in the 2022 Republican primary, unsuccessfully challenging incumbent Greg Abbott after the COVID-19 pandemic and government lockdowns.
Huffines is a far-right Republican who has accused the current Republican administration in Austin of misusing state funds. His campaign agenda begins with saying he will “stand with President Trump.”
His website explains: “Don Huffines stands with President Trump and is the only MAGA Republican in this race. Before he was assassinated, Charlie Kirk endorsed Don Huffines for comptroller, saying, ‘Don Huffines is the only candidate in this race with the courage and the track record to bring President Trump’s brand of leadership to Texas.’”
Other campaign promises are to audit the state government, run state government like a business, expose government corruption, eliminate “woke” ideology, “end taxpayer funding for illegals” and “DOGE Texas government.”
Huffines has campaigned for years about his plan to eliminate property taxes, which are the primary sources of funding for public schools and municipal government.