Who in SDNY requested NM close investigation in 2019?

[SheltieLover]

https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/new-mexico-attorney-general-reopens-investigation-into-epsteins-zorro-ranch/article_8de923e3-77ed-4478-97e5-f19468d1f4f4.html

Rodriguez noted in the statement Thursday that the state agency’s investigation closed in 2019 “at the request of the U.S. Department of Justice for the Southern District of New York."

Who & why???

[imaginary girl]

1. Geoffrey Berman was appointed head in 2018...

...and resigned in 2020. Note the dates coincide with the first T residency.

[SheltieLover]

3. Thx

Don't know anything about him. Maybe someone should search the files for his name.

[imaginary girl]

5. That's what I was thinking!

Also, admittedly I don't know much in this area, but why would the Southern District of New York have control over investigations in New Mexico?

[SheltieLover]

8. Feds

But who & why?

[2naSalit]

2. Gee, let me try to guess...

Cy Vance?

-45's sister have something to do with it?

Who else was there for a long time shielding -45's crimes?

[SheltieLover]

4. Poor reporting imo.

Should have said who requested they stop investigation.

I was just taking a peek to see if the State filed to stop the demolition. Nothing in news I could find.

[Sanity Claws]

6. No

Cy Vance was the District Attorney for New York County (Manhattan). He was not SDNY.

[2naSalit]

7. Thanks...

So he was covering for him in Manhattan then.

[Sanity Claws]

9. Yes

Vance did not pursue many things that he should have. His successor, Alvin Bragg, was the DA who got the fraud convictions against the orange one.

[2naSalit]

10. Right...

I get the boroughs and their courts and personnel mixed up sometimes.

[ultralite001]

11. Maureen Comey, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), requested that New Mexico halt

its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s Zorro Ranch in July 2019.

According to a redacted September 8, 2019, email [cited in search results], her office informed New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas that they would take primary jurisdiction over federal sex trafficking matters related to Epstein. In exchange, New Mexico was asked to cease its investigation into sex trafficking + instead share all gathered evidence with the US Attorney’s Office. The email stated that New Mexico was free to pursue other investigations unrelated to sex trafficking, w/ the promise that any information gathered by the federal case would be shared afterward.

https://www.thecentersquare.com/new_mexico/article_d08ca948-d4d8-4935-8c30-c516bfa82483.html

Former New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas confirmed that his office was asked to pause the state probe by Comey’s office, which was leading a federal multi-jurisdictional prosecution at the time. The New Mexico investigation was closed at the federal request.

https://sourcenm.com/2026/02/17/new-mexicos-jeffrey-epstein-truth-commission-gets-off-the-ground/

Balderas emphasized that his office did not close the matter, instead forwarded all gathered evidence, police reports + witness interviews to federal authorities + continued to offer resources for prosecution. Balderas also requested that federal asset forfeiture tools be used to seize the ranch + redirect proceeds to victims.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/17/epstein-zorro-ranch-abuse-new-mexico

[ultralite001]

12. Important to note: Maurene Comey was fired...

by the Krasnov administration...

Maurene Comey was fired from the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) on July 16, 2025, without a stated reason. The dismissal letter cited Article II of the US Constitution, which affirms presidential authority over federal appointments + removals.

https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5405370-james-comey-daughter-maurene-comey-fired-reports/

While the Justice Department did not provide an official explanation, multiple sources suggest the firing was politically motivated, primarily due to her familial connection to her father, former FBI Director James Comey, a prominent critic of Donald Trump. According to her lawsuit, she was terminated "solely or substantially" because of this relationship or her perceived political affiliation.

https://www.courthousenews.com/former-prosecutor-sues-trump-doj-over-sdny-firing/

Comey, who had received repeated "Outstanding" performance reviews + played key roles in high-profile cases — including those of Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell + Robert Hadden — alleges her firing violated civil service protections, due process + the First Amendment. She filed a lawsuit in September 2025 seeking reinstatement + challenging the use of Article II to bypass statutory safeguards for career employees.