New Mexico has filed ‌a civil lawsuit against the former lawyer and accountant of Jeffrey Epstein to block payments by the late sex offender’s ‌estate and recover damages for survivors of his alleged sexual abuse.

It is the first law enforcement action against Epstein’s long-time personal lawyer Darren Indyke and accountant Richard Kahn, according to a statement from New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez.

The lawsuit alleges that Indyke and Kahn facilitated, financed, and concealed Epstein’s sex trafficking operation, including at Zorro ‌Ranch, south ‌of the state ⁠capital of Santa Fe.

It also names the estate of Jeffrey Epstein and aims to ​prohibit his private trust – created days before his 2019 death by suicide in a Manhattan jail cell – from spending any of the more than $US100 million ($143 million) it holds. Indyke and Kahn are co-executors of Epstein’s estate.

Daniel Weiner, a lawyer representing Indyke and Kahn, rejected allegations the two “knowingly” facilitated Epstein’s abuse of women, saying the crimes happened “behind closed doors, in secluded locations” when neither was present.

The suit will test ⁠whether authorities are able to pin down allegations that a network of ‌people and ​financial arrangements helped sustain and conceal Epstein’s operations.

“Jeffrey Epstein did not operate alone, and his death does not end the pursuit ​of accountability for ‌the people who helped make his crimes possible,” Torrez said in Albuquerque.

He was joined by two ​survivors of Epstein’s alleged abuse, Julia Molchanova and Anouska De Georgiou.

Indyke and Kahn have already been named in civil lawsuits against the Epstein estate, including a complaint last month seeking damages for people pictured in the sex offender’s collection ​of ​child sexual abuse material.

“Not a single woman has ​ever accused Mr Indyke or Mr Kahn of committing sexual abuse ‌or witnessing sexual abuse,” Weiner said, adding that the New Mexico attorney-general’s office had not tried to interview the men before filing the lawsuit.

New Mexico’s lawsuit comes after the Democratic-run state in February reopened an investigation into activities at Epstein’s former ranch, where he is accused of abusing women and girls for nearly three decades.

New Mexico has sued the US ​Department of Justice for access to unredacted files on Epstein, accusing the Trump administration of stonewalling its investigation.

The DOJ said ​it provided some files but was ⁠prevented from handing over most material due to privacy protections.

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-AAP