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Which entities or individuals have publicly recorded deeds related to Zorro Ranch?
Executive summary
Public records and news reporting show multiple recorded deeds and ownership entries linked to Zorro Ranch: Jeffrey Epstein (via entities such as Zorro Trust / Cypress Inc.), a mysterious 2020 deed claiming transfer to a Florida group called Love and Bliss, and a 2023 sale to San Rafael Ranch LLC whose beneficial owners remain undisclosed in public filings [1] [2] [3]. Reporting also documents county assessor entries, warranty deed filings and legal challenges over valuation tied to the 2023 transfer [3] [4] [2].
1. The Epstein-era legal owners: Zorro Trust / Cypress Inc. and related filings
Documents and reporting repeatedly identify Epstein’s ownership of the ranch through corporate vehicles — initially a Zorro trust and later entities such as Cypress Inc. — and show those entities as recorded owners in county records while Epstein controlled the property [5] [1] [6]. New Mexico officials assembled 400+ pages of property and lease documents in the aftermath of the Epstein investigations that reference those corporate purchasers and long-term leases of adjacent state land [7] [8].
2. A 2020 “mysterious deed” naming Love and Bliss church — disputed in reporting
In October 2020 a deed surfaced in Santa Fe County records that purported to transfer Zorro Ranch from Cypress Inc. to a Florida non-profit called Love and Bliss; local investigators flagged the filing as suspect and Epstein’s estate attorney said the estate would seek to clear the apparently fake deed [1] [9]. KRQE reported the deed listed a Florida address and a young individual as the non-profit’s president, prompting the estate to call the transfer invalid and to prepare court action [1] [9].
3. The 2023 sale to San Rafael Ranch LLC and county assessor records
Multiple outlets report that in August 2023 the Epstein estate sold Zorro Ranch and that Santa Fe County assessor records list San Rafael Ranch LLC as the new owner, with a new warranty deed recorded August 16, 2023; the sale price was not disclosed publicly [2] [3]. The Santa Fe New Mexican and AP noted the LLC was newly formed and that New Mexico’s nondisclosure rules and limited-liability structures conceal the identity of the ultimate beneficial owner[10] in public filings [3] [2].
4. Subsequent public filings and disputes over value and taxes
After the recorded transfer to San Rafael Ranch LLC, local reporting shows the new owners challenged the county’s assessed value (claiming a much lower market value), and public property tax notices listing assessments and estimated taxes were cited in news investigations — concrete evidence that San Rafael Ranch LLC is the recorded deed holder for tax and county purposes [4] [11]. These filings establish a public administrative trail even if they do not reveal who is behind the LLC [4].
5. What public records do and do not show about individuals behind the deeds
County assessor entries and warranty deed recordings identify legal entities (Cypress Inc., San Rafael Ranch LLC) and show at least one anomalous deed (Love and Bliss) filed in 2020 — but available reporting repeatedly notes that the names of the ultimate individual owners behind San Rafael Ranch LLC were not disclosed in public records and the identity remains unreported in mainstream outlets [12] [3] [2]. Reporting confirms an attorney (Charles V. Henry IV) listed as San Rafael Ranch LLC’s registered agent in state filings but does not confirm beneficial owner names [3].
6. Why these different entries matter to investigators and the public
Recorded deeds and assessor records create a paper trail that can establish legal title for tax, sale and estate-administration purposes; the 2020 fake-deed episode and the nontransparent 2023 LLC purchase have driven local demands for clarity and a proposed state “truth commission” to probe activities tied to the property and any public corruption or legal gaps that allowed leases and access to persist [1] [7] [13]. Lawmakers and journalists emphasize that deed records alone may conceal beneficial ownership when LLCs or suspect filings are involved [3] [1].
7. Conflicting accounts, open questions and next steps for records researchers
Reporting agrees on the major recorded events (Epstein’s trust ownership, the 2020 suspicious deed, the 2023 recorded sale to San Rafael Ranch LLC) but diverges or is silent on the identities behind the LLC and whether additional unrecorded transfers exist; outlets note court filings and estate-accounting disclosures may eventually disclose sale proceeds or parties but, as of these reports, beneficial owners remain unreported [1] [2] [3]. Researchers seeking definitive names should pursue: Santa Fe County deed and warranty-deed images, New Mexico Secretary of State LLC formation filings, the Epstein estate’s quarterly accounting referenced by the estate attorney, and any court actions contesting the 2020 deed [2] [9].
Limitations: this analysis is based solely on the supplied reporting and public-record summaries; available sources do not mention the ultimate beneficial owner names beyond the registered-agent or dispute-resolution filings cited above [3] [2] [1].