Who currently owns Zorro Ranch and what is its legal status after Epstein's death?
Executive summary
Zorro Ranch — the roughly 7,500–7,560‑acre New Mexico property long associated with Jeffrey Epstein — was held by entities tied to his estate for years after his 2019 death and was sold in August 2023 to a newly formed company called San Rafael Ranch LLC, with the price undisclosed and described by estate counsel as proceeds to be used to administer the estate and pay creditors [1] [2] [3]. Prior to that sale the property’s legal situation involved estate-controlled companies (notably Cypress Inc.), land‑lease contracts with the state, and public records that at times suggested partial, opaque transfers — all leaving questions about ownership transparency and state authority over leased parcels [1] [4] [5].
1. Ownership now: a newly registered LLC on the deed, buyer identity opaque
County and news records list San Rafael Ranch LLC as the owner after the 2023 transaction, and the company had been registered with New Mexico’s secretary of state just weeks before the sale — facts reported by the Associated Press, KXXV and local outlets, which also emphasize that the sale price was not disclosed [3] [6] [7]. Multiple outlets note that the buyer’s ultimate beneficial owner was not publicly identified in the reporting and that the LLC was newly created immediately prior to the purchase, a pattern that mirrors prior opacity around Epstein‑linked entities such as Cypress Inc. [6] [3] [4].
2. How the estate handled the property after Epstein’s death
After Epstein died in federal custody in 2019 he signed documents that placed assets into trusts and the estate — through counsel Daniel Weiner — managed sales and dispositions, with Weiner confirming the 2023 sale and saying proceeds would be used to administer the estate and pay creditors, per AP reporting [3] [5]. Before the sale, local reporting and estate statements indicated that a company tied to Epstein, Cypress Inc., retained control of roughly 7,500 acres and that the estate was preparing to market the ranch for several years, including listings above $20 million at times [1] [8].
3. Legal status and unresolved state leases: some land may revert to New Mexico
The ranch’s footprint included not only private deeds but also state trust land leases; New Mexico officials have asserted legal authority to reclaim approximately 1,200 acres tied to land‑lease contracts, and the state attorney general and land commissioner reviewed records after Epstein’s death to explore that possibility [5]. Independent local investigations also uncovered unusual deeds and partial transfers in 2020–2021 that complicated the public record, suggesting that portions of the ranch had been shown as changing hands before the broader estate sale [4]. Reporting indicates the state retains an active interest in untangling lease rights from private ownership but does not show that the state acquired the contested acreage outright as of the latest reporting [5] [4].
4. What remains uncertain and why it matters
Reporting consistently emphasizes two limits: the sale price and the ultimate beneficial owner behind San Rafael Ranch LLC are undisclosed in public reporting, and portions of the ranch involve state lease law that has been the subject of review rather than final resolution [3] [6] [5]. That opacity is significant because survivors and lawmakers have sought both accountability for alleged crimes that took place on the property and clarity over who controls a site that has been central to long‑running civil claims and proposed legislative probes such as a New Mexico “truth commission” [2] [9]. The available sources document the transfer from estate‑controlled entities to a newly registered LLC and the state’s asserted legal interest in leased acreage, but they do not identify a public individual owner or a fully resolved legal settlement of all land‑lease claims [3] [6] [5].