Jeffrey Epstein's staff coordinated access to **Governor Bill Richardson** for five years, tracking his New Mexico travel schedule to arrange visits to Epstein's nearby Zorro Ranch — according to 538 documents released by the DOJ.
The emails span July 2011 through August 2016, covering a period when Richardson had left the New Mexico governorship and entered private life. Throughout those years, Epstein's assistants maintained an active line of communication with Richardson's office, managing logistics around the ranch he owned just miles from Richardson's home state.
Get the full documents delivered to your inbox — subscribe to the InvArchives newsletter.
Ranch Invitations and Schedule Coordination
The contact began shortly after Richardson left office. On July 7, 2011, an assistant to Jeffrey Epstein emailed Richardson's office directly: "Jeffrey Epstein will be at his ranch this Sunday July 10th and wanted to let you know! Might you be around?"
Richardson's assistant Caitlin responded that the Governor would not be in New Mexico that weekend. Richardson himself then replied with his personal email address, writing: "How long is Jeffrey in town for? Yes, I will let him know. He is traveling quite a bit this month."
The exchange — preserved in Document EFTA02186514 — shows Richardson personally providing contact information to Epstein's team and confirming an intent to connect.
Lesley Groff's Updates to Richardson
Lesley Groff, Epstein's longtime personal assistant, also maintained direct contact with Richardson. A July 18, 2013 email recovered in Document EFTA02133358 shows Groff sending Richardson an update: "Jeffrey will also be away from his ranch Aug."
The message indicates Groff was proactively informing Richardson of Epstein's ranch schedule — the kind of logistical coordination she performed for a small circle of Epstein's closest contacts. Groff later received a $100,000 wire from Epstein in 2017, after his first conviction, as documented in separate financial records.
A September 2013 Meeting in New York
By the fall of 2013, the relationship had expanded beyond ranch logistics. A September 24, 2013 schedule recovered in Document EFTA01956707 shows Richardson booked for a 3:00pm appointment at Epstein's Manhattan apartments.
The schedule entry reads: "3:00pm Appt w/Governor Bill Richardson" with a note that Richardson's assistant "will sit in on your meeting."
The same day's schedule lists six other appointments including a morning meeting with Ehud Barak, lunch, and an evening visit. Richardson's slot was one of seven appointments Epstein maintained that Tuesday.
Asking for Richardson in 2016
Contact with Richardson persisted well past Epstein's 2008 conviction. On August 9, 2016 — eight years after Epstein's first sex offense plea — Epstein emailed his staff: "See if bill Richardson is around New Mexico."
The response, preserved in Document EFTA00821753, confirmed that Richardson was on the east coast for the summer. His assistant Brooke was notified that Epstein had been asking.
The inquiry followed the same pattern established in 2011: Epstein's team tracking Richardson's whereabouts to facilitate a possible visit to the Zorro Ranch.
Richardson's Office Connected to Epstein's Network
A May 15, 2012 email in Document EFTA01985364 shows another dimension of the relationship. Richardson's assistant Caitlin Kelleher wrote directly to Epstein's personal email — jeevacation@gmail.com — with a request: "Gov. Richardson is asking if he can call Reid."
The message was sent from the official Office of Governor Bill Richardson email account. The identity of "Reid" is not specified in the document, but Epstein's network included Reid Hoffman, the LinkedIn co-founder, whose name appears in other documents from the same forensic dataset alongside Joichi Ito and Lawrence Krauss.
Why the Ranch Connection Matters
Epstein's Zorro Ranch in Stanley, New Mexico, was a 49-acre property featuring a guesthouse, staff quarters, and facilities investigators later described in detail. It was one of three primary residences Epstein maintained alongside his Manhattan townhouse and Little Saint James island.
Multiple court filings and deposition transcripts place the ranch at the center of Epstein's operations in the American Southwest. Richardson served as Governor of New Mexico from 2003 to 2011 — the period during which Epstein most actively developed and used the property.
The 538 documents linking Richardson to Epstein in the DOJ release were among 1.3 million pages unsealed following the 2023 civil litigation. Richardson died in September 2023 before the full document release.
All individuals mentioned are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
Share this investigation
This analysis references publicly released documents from the Epstein case archive. All individuals mentioned are presumed innocent unless convicted in a court of law. Language such as “documents indicate” reflects what appears in source materials, not conclusions of guilt. Readers are encouraged to review the cited source documents directly.