This story has required several updates since we first posted Thursday. The latest is the news that Epstein died of an apparent suicide in his New York City jail cell early Saturday. 

The news that broke Friday regarding former Gov. Richardson in the Epstein scandal is in this report.

The notorious New Mexico ranch owned by wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein, now jailed in New York  on charges of sex trafficking in underage girls, is examined in detail this week by the Daily Beast. Other recent reports contain the bizarre news that Epstein hoped to seed the human race with his DNA by impregnating women at the huge ranch.

The Daily Beast report is headlined: "Epstein Seen With Young Girls as He Shopped for ‘Baby Ranch’ in New Mexico."

The article contains titillating tidbits for followers of La Politica. Some samples:

He chose to buy a ranch through another realtor, Rhonda King, who was also then a representative to the New Mexico legislature. The purchase of the 10,000-acre Zorro Ranch came with an additional, instant political connection, as Epstein bought it from the realtor’s uncle, former Gov. Bruce King.

Epstein proceeded to build a 26,700 square foot hacienda-style hilltop mansion, the largest private home in Santa Fe County, perhaps the state. The former governor’s nephew, New Mexico State treasurer David King, was quoted saying of Epstein, “He’s building what you want as a heavenly ranch.”

And another:

Visitors to the mansion included the leading candidate for governor in 2002, Bill Richardson, who was later quick to say that he was accompanied by his wife. Epstein contributed $50,000 to Richardson’s campaign. Epstein kicked in another $50,000 towards Richardson’s successful run for reelection in 2006.

Gary King, the former governor’s son, was running for state attorney general that year and Epstein donated $15,000 to his primary campaign. Epstein also donated $10,000 toward Jim Baca’s campaign to become head of the land commission and $2,000 toward Santa Fe County Sheriff Jim Solano's bid for reelection.

In the meantime, Epstein was apparently flying in underage girls as well as fresh bread, usually through Santa Fe when he was using his Gulfstream, or the larger Albuquerque airport when using his Boeing 727. One of his accusers would say that she was raped at the ranch when she was 15.

UPDATE: RICHARDSON STATEMENT

On Friday the Daily Beast came with this:

A young woman who says financier Jeffrey Epstein and socialite Ghislaine Maxwell kept her as a sex slave also accused a host of high-powered men of being involved in Epstein’s alleged sex-trafficking ring, according to court records unsealed Friday....Virginia Giuffre, who says that Epstein and Maxwell trafficked her to powerful people for erotic massages and sex, claimed in a 2016 deposition that Maxwell directed her to have sex with former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, Britain’s Prince Andrew (whom she has accused before), wealthy financier Glenn Dubin, former senator George Mitchell, now-deceased MIT scientist Marvin Minsky, and modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel, as well as “another prince,” a "foreign president," and the owner of a “large hotel chain” in France.....

A spokesperson for former Gov. Richardson told The Daily Beast, “These allegations and inferences are completely false. Governor Richardson has never even been contacted by any party regarding this lawsuit. To be clear, in Governor Richardson’s limited interactions with Mr. Epstein, he never saw him in the presence of young or underage girls. Governor Richardson has never been to Mr. Epstein’s residence in the Virgin Islands. Governor Richardson has never met Ms. Giuffre."

Giuffre said she was directed to have sex with Richardson while he was Governor at Epstein’s secluded ranch in Santa Fe County.

The released court documents are listed below this story regarding the accusations against Richardson and other well-known men.

KING COMEBACK?

The King political dynasty went dark after Gary King lost the 2014 gubernatorial race to Susana Martinez, but now word comes that it could be resurrected:

King Spindle

Rebecca “Becky” King Spindle a rancher and the granddaughter of former New Mexico Governor Bruce King announced her candidacy for the NM House of Representatives District 50. Becky has served for the past three years as a member of the Moriarty School Board and was proud to support the district in their lawsuit against the State to increase funding to our students. . . King Spindle graduated from Moriarty High School and later attended New Mexico State University where she studied Animal Science. She has been married to Tommy Spindle for 24 years and has four children. 

King Spindle, 44, is the daughter of rancher Bill King, one of Bruce King's sons.

She is showing some bravado in her first political outing by challenging Dem Rep. Matthew McQueen in next June's primary. McQueen has held the seat, which includes portions of Bernallio, Santa Fe, Torrance and Valencia counties, since 2015. The primary winner is likely to take the seat in the Dem district next November.

McQueen is liberal. King Spindle is expected to run as a more centrist candidate in the largely rural district which was once held by her grandfather governor as well as her attorney general uncle Gary King.

NEW NEWSPAPER

Reader Peter Rice writes to tell us he has started a newspaper to cover the ABQ Downtown area:

Hi Joe, Downtown Albuquerque News. ., (is) covering Downtown neighborhoods a mile deep. This is a publication for the. . . population who care obsessively about Downtown development projects, transport, homelessness, culture, recreation. . . and are willing to pay a few bucks a month for the quality and detail they can't get elsewhere. DAN will be published weekdays. . . It'll just be for subscribers ($10/month or $100/year) who will receive it via email. Folks who sign up get the first two weeks free. 

Rice is a former ABQ Tribune reporter who has also worked for newspapers in Oregon and Colorado.