Jeffrey Epstein’s New Mexico ranch staff refused to cooperate with police after dozens of guns vanished in 2018, deliberately withholding serial numbers that could have helped recover the stolen firearms. The convicted sex offender wasn’t legally allowed to possess weapons after his 2008 felony conviction, yet his remote Zorro Ranch property housed an extensive arsenal that disappeared under suspicious circumstances.

The Mysterious Ranch Robbery

Late on August 26 or early August 27, 2018, thieves struck Epstein’s southern Santa Fe County property. Investigators found a large gun safe stolen from a garage, with a broken window marking the entry point. Tire tracks led from the garage through a slashed fence to a dirt road. Two nearby cabins were also burglarized, with antique lamps and another gun taken. Staff reported two additional rifles missing from another residence. The ranch manager estimated 33 guns were stolen, though one rifle later turned up in ranch manager Brice Gordon’s home on the property. Gordon’s story kept changing, and he suspected another staff member’s involvement, according to pilot Larry Visoski’s email to Epstein.

Staff Stonewalled Investigation

Ranch employees documented the missing firearms and compared serial numbers the night after the theft. A ranch manager asked Epstein whether to forward the weapons list to New Mexico State Police Officer Byrd so serial numbers could be sent to pawn shops and gun shows. Epstein only referred the manager to his attorney. The serial numbers were never provided. State police pressed staff for weeks to hand over the information, but employees stopped answering calls. About one month later, investigators closed the case due to lack of cooperation. State Police spokesperson Amanda Richards confirmed the case could reopen if new information surfaces.

Federal Firearms Violation

Epstein’s 2008 Florida felony conviction for soliciting a minor prohibited him from possessing firearms under federal law. In a 2010 email filled with typos, Epstein acknowledged being a convict not allowed to possess firearms. He asked his attorney whether he could carry a gun on an African hunting trip. That same year, Epstein instructed ranch manager Gordon to keep as many guns as legally allowed when Epstein wasn’t visiting, including high-powered rifles. The disgraced financier owned Zorro Ranch from 1993 until his jail death in 2019. Federal investigators never thoroughly searched the property, though recent scrutiny has triggered a New Mexico Department of Justice criminal investigation and a legislative truth commission.

Questions Remain Unanswered

Justice Department files don’t explain why staff refused to cooperate, but Epstein’s firearms prohibition provides the likely answer. Staff may have feared exposing their employer’s illegal weapons possession. Epstein reacted to news of the robbery with a single word: “Wild.” The stolen weapons remain missing seven years later. The incident adds another layer to the ongoing investigations into Epstein’s New Mexico operations and the people who enabled his activities for decades.