Rachel Benavidez, one of 10 women who say they were groomed or assaulted at Jeffrey Epstein’s New Mexico compound, broke her silence on Monday about what happened there. She believes it is not too late for the truth about possible co-conspirators to come out.
“I know there’s co-conspirators,” Benavidez said. “It’s not too late for the truth to come out.”
Benavidez is among survivors who are speaking out as Congress urges the Justice Department to release unredacted Epstein files. In December, the DOJ released over 11,000 files, nearly 30,000 pages, after the Epstein Files Transparency Act’s deadline passed.
Among those documents was a July 7, 2019, email from the FBI with the subject line “Co-conspirators.” This email, sent the day after Epstein’s arrest at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, revealed that agents were tracking 10 individuals believed to have assisted Epstein in his crimes. Seven of those names remain redacted.
I will not stop talking about the Epstein Files.
This is Rachel Benavidez.
She deserves JUSTICE. pic.twitter.com/4H9qQY5P8D
— Lillian@mcocph (@LillianVikingDK) August 15, 2025
Epstein’s compound, known as Zorro Ranch, covers about 10,000 acres of high desert in northern New Mexico. Survivors and investigative journalists describe it as an isolated location where Epstein hosted scientists, celebrities, and powerful figures flown in on private jets, away from public scrutiny.
The FBI’s 2019 effort to charge co-conspirators fell apart after Epstein died by suicide in his Manhattan jail cell on August 10, 2019, just weeks after his arrest. Federal prosecutors never filed additional charges.
In February, the Justice Department unredacted parts of an August 15, 2019, FBI document that named eight individuals as co-conspirators, four of whom are listed in public records: Leslie Wexner, the billionaire retail executive; Lesley Groff, Epstein’s longtime secretary; the late Jean-Luc Brunel, a French modeling scout who died by suicide in a Paris prison in 2022; and Ghislaine Maxwell, the only person charged in connection with Epstein.
Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year federal sentence for sex trafficking. Wexner has claimed he fully cooperated with investigators and was cleared. Brunel denied any wrongdoing before his death.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said after examining less-redacted documents in a secure facility that as many as 20 men connected to Epstein may face accusations of sexual offenses. “There are additional men who either visited the island of abuse, participated in the exploitation, or covered up the misconduct,” Khanna told NPR.
Trump on Epstein victims: “I understand that the women didn’t want to go under oath. That’s what I heard. That the women, the victims or whatever, they refused to go under oath which was a little surprising. Melania felt strongly about it because she was accused that I met her… pic.twitter.com/c60FNEr1jh
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 16, 2026
Survivor Sharlene Rochard told CNN in February that “predators are being protected” in how the DOJ has handled the file releases.
In January, Ghislaine Maxwell claimed that 25 of Epstein’s accomplices reached secret settlements regarding abuse allegations, a number her attorneys did not verify in court.
The Justice Department has not publicly confirmed how many co-conspirator investigations are active, and no new charges have been filed since Maxwell’s conviction in 2021.
Benavidez did not name specific individuals during her remarks. Her attorney indicated that she plans to discuss further with federal investigators.
New Mexico state senators have called for a truth commission to investigate activities at Zorro Ranch. The property is still embroiled in a legal dispute linked to Epstein’s estate.
