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New Mexico is suing two associates of Jeffrey Epstein. At a news conference on Wednesday, the state's attorney general accused the men of facilitating and profiting from the convicted sex offender. NPR's Ava Berger reports.
AVA BERGER, BYLINE: Despite the release of millions of files related to Jeffrey Epstein and an ongoing congressional investigation into his crimes, Epstein's coconspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell, remains the only person who has been charged and sent to prison. Now New Mexico's Attorney General Raul Torrez is using a civil lawsuit to hold others accountable. The two people named are Epstein's longtime attorney, Darren Indyke, and his accountant, Richard Kahn. The criminal investigation into Epstein's Zorro Ranch in New Mexico is separate and ongoing.
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RAUL TORREZ: We are here today to mark an important milestone in the use of another legal tool at our disposal to hopefully shed light on individuals in Jeffrey Epstein's orbit.
BERGER: The civil suit alleges that Indyke and Kahn, both coexecutors of Epstein's estate, made it possible for him to run sex-trafficking operations that included abuse at the New Mexico ranch. The suit asks the court, among other demands, to prevent the two men from profiting, potentially receiving tens of millions from the estate.
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TORREZ: Frankly, if anyone is entitled to a recovery of Jeffrey Epstein's estate, it's the survivors.
BERGER: Lawyers for the men reject the allegations and deny that they in any way knowingly facilitated Epstein's sexual abuse or trafficking. They say not a single woman has ever accused Indyke or Kahn of committing sexual abuse or witnessing sexual abuse.
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ANOUSKA DE GEORGIOU: My abuse did not happen in isolation.
BERGER: Anouska De Georgiou, who also attended the press conference, says she's a survivor of Epstein and Maxwell's abuse.
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DE GEORGIOU: It could not have continued for as long as it did without people facilitating it, looking the other way or choosing to do nothing to stop it.
BERGER: This is not Torrez's first legal action involving the Epstein files. The New Mexico attorney general sued the Department of Justice in August for withholding documents related to Epstein. In response to Torrez's accusations, the DOJ repeated its earlier statement to NPR that laws prohibit it from releasing victim-identifying information and New Mexico has provided no lawful basis to justify such sweeping disclosures. Ava Berger, NPR News.
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