Who Owned Zorro Ranch? The King Family, Epstein’s Companies, and the Huffines Family

UpdatedSeptember 28, 2026

ByEpsteinWiki

Snapshot

Jeffrey Epstein acquired the New Mexico property known as Zorro Ranch from King family ranching entities in 1993. Zorro Trust was the named buyer, and Epstein acted as its trustee. In 2011, the trust conveyed the main ranch to Cypress, Inc., a corporation Epstein controlled. Following his death in 2019, estate representatives arranged its sale. San Rafael Ranch LLC acquired the property in August 2023.

Public records and reporting link San Rafael Ranch LLC to Don and Mary Catherine Huffines. Don Huffines became Texas Comptroller on August 1, 2026. President Donald Trump endorsed his campaign earlier that year, and the Huffines’ son Russell works in Trump’s White House Office of Cabinet Affairs. These are significant connections in the story of the current owners. They do not, without additional evidence, establish that the family knew Epstein before buying his former property.

The ranch also had a more complicated parcel history than the main deed suggests. A separately surveyed tract called Tract A was partly owned by Zorro Ranch LLC and partly by Larry and Eileen Visoski under a 2003 deed. The 2011 main ranch deed expressly excluded that tract.

Key Takeaways

The documented 1993 sellers were King family entities. The purchase agreement named King Brothers Ranch, King Land and Cattle Company, and Pine Canyon Ranch Inc.
Epstein controlled the original buyer. Zorro Trust acquired the ranch, and Epstein signed as trustee.
The main ranch moved to Cypress in 2011. The transfer was between structures Epstein controlled.
Tract A had a separate ownership path. In 2003, Zorro Ranch LLC received an undivided 75 percent interest, while Larry and Eileen Visoski retained 25 percent.
Epstein’s death did not itself change the name on the deed. Cypress remained the recorded title holder while his estate administered the property sale.
San Rafael Ranch LLC bought the ranch in 2023. The family of Don and Mary Catherine Huffines is publicly linked to the buyer.
The Trump connection is documented and current. Trump endorsed Don Huffines in 2026, Don became Texas Comptroller that August, and their son Russell works in the Trump White House.
The final 2023 sale price is not established here. Listing prices and property tax valuations must not be reported as the amount paid.

Ownership Timeline

Period	Recorded holder or identified party	Documented change
Before 1993	King family ranching entities	Held interests conveyed in the original ranch transaction.
February and March 1993	Zorro Trust	Agreed to purchase and acquired the main ranch. Epstein acted as trustee.
1999 to January 2003	Zorro Trust and Larry and Eileen Visoski	Held and then terminated a recorded option concerning Tract A.
January 2003 onward	Zorro Ranch LLC and the Visoskis	A deed gave the LLC 75 percent of Tract A and left 25 percent with the Visoskis.
December 2011 to August 2023	Cypress, Inc.	Received the main ranch by special warranty deed. That deed excluded Tract A.
February 2016	Cypress, Inc.	Received a separate conveyance of Zorro Ranch LLC’s interest in Tract A.
August 2019 to August 2023	Epstein estate through its interest in Cypress	Estate representatives administered the asset and arranged the sale while Cypress remained the recorded property holder.
August 2023 onward	San Rafael Ranch LLC	Acquired the ranch through a deed from Cypress. Public records link the company to the Huffines family.

The 1993 King Family Transaction

The February 25, 1993 purchase agreement named Zorro Trust as buyer. The sellers were King Brothers Ranch, King Land and Cattle Company, and Pine Canyon Ranch Inc. Epstein’s limited power of attorney described an anticipated closing in early March.

The New Mexico Survivors’ Truth Commission interim report identifies then Governor Bruce King and his brothers Don and Sam King as the sellers behind the transaction. It says then Representative Rhonda King acted as the family’s realtor. The commission gives March 1, 1993, as the acquisition date. The agreement, closing paperwork, signatures, and recording documents concern different stages of that transaction.

Attorney John J. Kelly acted as Epstein’s attorney in fact on a state land lease component in March 1993. Kelly later said the King family had asked him to assist with the sale. He subsequently served as United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico. His involvement and later office are relevant facts, but the cited ownership records do not establish wrongdoing in the transaction.

Former Epstein employee Larry Morrison later recalled believing that Bill Richardson sold part of the property to Epstein. The truth commission found no ownership evidence supporting that recollection. The documented purchase agreement identifies the King family entities as sellers.

The sources reviewed here do not establish a verified total purchase price for the 1993 transaction.

Zorro Trust and Epstein’s Control

Zorro Trust was the original named buyer and the principal holder of the main ranch until 2011. Epstein signed documents as its trustee. The trust also appeared in records concerning state grazing leases, water rights, a pipeline easement, and a bank account.

The records disagree about the trust’s jurisdiction. A March 1993 affidavit signed by Epstein called it a New York trust. A January 2003 instrument and the December 2011 conveyance documents called it an Ohio trust. The later deed referred to a trust agreement dated March 1, 1993, “as amended.” The cited materials do not establish when or why the description changed.

The trust’s name on a deed identifies the recorded holder. Epstein’s signature and authority as trustee identify his documented control. Both facts are needed for an accurate ownership account. The related operating companies are examined in EpsteinWiki’s Zorro Ranch entities guide.

Tract A and the Visoski Interest

A survey filed in 1998 identified a roughly 40 acre parcel called Tract A. It had its own recorded agreements and should not be folded into the main ranch timeline without explanation.

A 1999 memorandum recorded an option agreement involving Zorro Trust and Larry and Eileen Visoski. The parties terminated that option in January 2003. During the same month, the Visoskis signed a warranty deed granting Zorro Ranch LLC an undivided 75 percent interest in Tract A. The deed retained the remaining 25 percent for the Visoskis as joint tenants. A cotenancy memorandum documented the shared interest and identified Epstein as a member of the LLC.

An Epstein office schedule described Zorro Ranch LLC as formed to hold title but “never used.” The same schedule acknowledged its 75 percent interest in the Visoski property. The 2003 recorded deed confirms that interest. The schedule’s broad description cannot accurately mean the LLC never held any property interest associated with the ranch.

The December 2011 special warranty deed to Cypress expressly excluded Tract A. A separate deed dated February 2016 conveyed Zorro Ranch LLC’s interest in Tract A to Cypress and identified Epstein as the LLC’s sole member.

The 2003 deed plainly retained a 25 percent interest for the Visoskis. The cited 2016 conveyance from the LLC does not, by itself, show how their separate interest was later resolved. A full title examination of Tract A would need any additional deed or legal instrument affecting that share. This is a defined gap in the available chain, not a reason to erase the documented 2003 cotenancy.

The Transfer to Cypress

In December 2011, Zorro Trust conveyed the main ranch to Cypress, Inc., a Virgin Islands corporation. Epstein signed as trustee for Zorro Trust and appeared as president of Cypress on related instruments. The special warranty deed was recorded in Santa Fe County on December 21, 2011, as instrument 1655104.

The change placed the main ranch deed in a corporation controlled by Epstein. It was not a documented sale to an unrelated third party. Related paperwork addressed state leases, water rights, federal assignments, and a pipeline right of way.

One assignment of the pipeline easement recited $1 and other consideration. That clause concerns the easement. It cannot be used as the sale price for the entire ranch.

Estate planning records later identified 10,000 Cypress shares among Epstein’s interests and described the company as holding title to Zorro Ranch. Ownership of company shares and ownership of land through a recorded deed are different legal interests. That distinction matters after Epstein’s death.

Land, Leases, Water, and Minerals

The Santa Fe County Assessor figure cited by the truth commission is 7,621.74 acres for Zorro Ranch. Descriptions of a roughly 8,000 acre, 10,000 acre, or larger operation may include leased land and surrounding use areas. Those figures should not be treated as interchangeable measurements of private ownership.

Interest	What the record supports
Privately deeded land	Land conveyed through the King family transaction and later recorded deeds.
State trust land leases	Rights to use public land under lease conditions, without owning that land.
Federal grazing interests	Rights governed by federal records, distinct from private title.
Pipeline easement	A limited right for a water pipeline, not ownership of every acre crossed.
Water rights and permits	Interests governed by separate permit and transfer records.
Mineral interests	Rights dependent on deed language and earlier reservations. Surface ownership did not necessarily include all minerals.
Tract A	A separately surveyed parcel with an option, cotenancy, and later conveyance history.

The New Mexico State Land Office described approximately 1,243 acres associated with Cypress leases when it moved to cancel them in 2019. An earlier lease discussed by the truth commission covered 1,158.97 acres. The acreage, dates, and lease identifiers must be checked before treating those figures as the same tract or adding them to privately deeded acreage.

A federal patent affecting part of the property reserved minerals to the United States. Consequently, a claim that Epstein bought the ranch does not establish that he acquired every mineral beneath it.

Companies That Appear in Ranch Records

Entity	Documented function	Ownership distinction
Zorro Trust	Original main ranch buyer and holder	Held the principal property before the 2011 transfer.
Zorro Ranch LLC	Holder of a 75 percent interest in Tract A	Its documented parcel interest was not title to every ranch tract.
Zorro Development Corp.	Employees, vendors, operating expenses, and improvements	Operating activity does not establish ownership of the main land parcel.
Cypress, Inc.	Recipient of the main ranch deed and later Tract A conveyance	Named grantor in the 2023 ranch sale.
Zorro Management LLC	Later management and financial activity	Its name on expense records is not a main ranch deed.

A payroll record, invoice, permit, or email signature can establish who administered an activity. A deed and its legal description are needed to establish which entity held land title.

Epstein’s Death and Estate Control

Epstein died on August 10, 2019. His death did not automatically replace Cypress on the recorded ranch deed. Estate representatives administered his interests, including the corporate interest connected to Cypress, and arranged the property’s eventual sale.

An estate inventory described Cypress as holding title to Zorro Ranch and reported a tax assessed value of about $17.7 million. An assessment in an inventory is not the 2023 selling price. Estate planning papers concerning potential beneficiaries likewise do not establish that any named beneficiary received a ranch deed.

The New Mexico State Land Office moved to cancel state grazing leases associated with Cypress following Epstein’s death. Cypress later conceded cancellation. Losing a lease to use state land did not mean New Mexico acquired Cypress’s privately deeded property.

The Disputed Love & Bliss Filing

A deed filed in 2020 purported to transfer ranch property from Cypress to Love & Bliss Church for $200. Epstein estate attorney Daniel Weiner disputed the filing and described a similar deed filed by the same people in Florida as fraudulent. The claim belongs in the ranch’s record history because it appeared in public property records.

The filing should not be inserted into the established chain as a verified sale. The later estate marketing and 2023 conveyance proceeded through Cypress. The distinction is between the existence of a recorded claim and proof that the claimant validly acquired the property.

The 2023 Sale

The estate offered Zorro Ranch for $27.5 million in 2021. The advertised price later fell to $18 million. Those figures were asking prices, not confirmed transaction amounts.

San Rafael Ranch LLC acquired the property through a deed from Cypress. The deed was recorded on August 16, 2023, under Santa Fe County instrument 2017800. The LLC had been created shortly before the purchase.

Estate attorney Daniel Weiner confirmed the sale at the time and described the price as undisclosed. He said proceeds would be used to administer the estate and pay creditors. The Huffines family’s spokesperson said the property had been offered at public auction and that proceeds benefited victims. Don Huffines has described buying the property before an auction occurred. These accounts should be attributed separately. They do not establish a public, verified final price or prove that all proceeds were paid directly to survivors.

The Huffines Family and the Current Owner

San Rafael Ranch LLC is the recorded buyer. Public records obtained by the Santa Fe New Mexican connected it to the family of Don Huffines. A property tax protest identified his wife, Mary Catherine Huffines, as a trustee and property owner representative. The family subsequently acknowledged the purchase.

Another company, San Rafael One LLC, has been linked in reporting to their son Colin Huffines, who appeared as a manager. The two LLC names must be kept distinct. San Rafael Ranch LLC is the buyer named in the ranch transaction. A connection to San Rafael One does not, without a deed, make it the ranch’s recorded owner.

The family renamed the property San Rafael Ranch and announced plans to make it a Christian retreat. Don Huffines’ spokesperson said the family had never visited the property before its sale listing. That statement is the family’s account of its earlier contact with the ranch.

Their son Devin Huffines has also publicly described family discussions about the purchase and a religious ceremony conducted at the property. Those statements help explain the family’s stated purpose for acquiring it. They do not change the name on the deed.

The Trump and Texas Government Connections

The current owners’ political connections warrant their own place in this history.

President Donald Trump endorsed Don Huffines in the February 2026 Republican primary for Texas Comptroller. Governor Greg Abbott subsequently appointed Huffines to the office. According to the Texas Comptroller’s announcement, Don Huffines was sworn in on August 1, 2026. As of this article, he is the sitting Texas Comptroller, not merely a former senator or candidate.

Don and Mary Catherine Huffines’ son Russell Huffines works in the Trump White House Office of Cabinet Affairs. LegiStorm’s employment record identifies him with that office and lists a Deputy Director of Cabinet Affairs role beginning in May 2026. Ellie Leonard’s reporting identified the family relationship and discussed his White House employment.

These connections are significant: the family behind the company that acquired Epstein’s former ranch includes a sitting Texas statewide official endorsed by Trump and a son serving in Trump’s White House. The sequence is equally significant. The ranch was acquired in 2023. Trump’s endorsement, Don’s appointment, and Russell’s documented White House role came later.

The records examined for this article do not establish that Don, Mary Catherine, Russell, Colin, or Devin Huffines had a personal or business relationship with Epstein before the ranch purchase. A political relationship with Trump, who had his own documented history with Epstein, cannot by itself establish such a relationship for the Huffines family.

Tax Valuations Are Not the Purchase Price

The Huffines linked company challenged the ranch’s property tax valuation. Reporting on the 2023 tax year described an initial value of about $21.1 million and a subsequent reduction to about $13.4 million. The protest invoked the property’s notoriety and its sale price as reasons for a lower assessment.

Other reporting concerns a different protest and different valuation figures for 2024. Those proceedings should be identified by tax year rather than merged into one appeal. None of the reported assessment figures, requested reductions, or listing prices proves the undisclosed amount paid in August 2023.

The distinction matters because reporting a tax value as a sale price would create a false precision in the ownership history.

Construction Orders and the 2026 Search

After the purchase, the new owners began changes connected to the proposed retreat, including work on an entrance. The Santa Fe New Mexican’s reporting says New Mexico regulators and Santa Fe County ordered construction paused in January 2026, alleging that required permits had not been obtained. The reported orders came from regulators and the county, not from a completed finding that the family had participated in Epstein’s crimes.

New Mexico investigators searched the property in March 2026 as part of a reopened investigation into allegations concerning the ranch during Epstein’s ownership. The New Mexico Department of Justice statement expressly thanked the current owners for cooperating.

The timing raises an evidence preservation question because the property had changed hands and work had begun before the search. The documented permit dispute and the documented cooperation with investigators should both appear in the history. Neither fact, standing alone, establishes concealment or criminal involvement by the current owners.

What Remains Unresolved

The 1993 purchase price: The buyer and sellers are documented, but the cited materials do not establish a verified total price.
The trust’s jurisdiction: Epstein called Zorro Trust a New York trust in 1993. Later instruments called it an Ohio trust without an explanation established here.
The complete private acreage chain: The truth commission said it was unclear whether the assessed 7,621.74 acres were acquired in one transaction or assembled over time.
The Visoskis’ retained Tract A interest: The 2003 deed left them 25 percent. The cited 2016 LLC deed alone does not show how that separate interest was resolved.
The final 2023 sale price: Asking prices, estate inventory values, and tax assessments do not establish it.
The exact destination of every sale dollar: The estate attorney’s account and the buyers’ statements address proceeds in different terms. A complete accounting would require the relevant estate filings.
Any preexisting Huffines relationship with Epstein: The documented connection reviewed here is their family’s 2023 acquisition of his former property. The current political connections are substantial facts, but they do not answer that separate question.

Evidence Appearances

EFTA00030804: Epstein’s 1993 limited power of attorney identifying Zorro Trust, the King family selling entities, and the planned closing.
EFTA00310887: Ranch conveyance and related property records, including the 2011 Cypress transfer.
EFTA00310852: Tract A option termination, the 2003 Visoski deed, and the cotenancy memorandum documenting the 75 percent and 25 percent interests.
EFTA00310932: Water right ownership change paperwork naming Zorro Trust and Cypress.
EFTA00101506: State Land Office correspondence concerning a 1993 lease payment.
EFTA001011523: The 1994 state land appraisement relevant to leased acreage.
EFTA01110271: Material concerning the King family transaction and Rhonda King.
EFTA01110312: Larry Morrison’s Richardson recollection, which the truth commission did not find supported by title evidence.
EFTA01266204: Estate planning material identifying the Cypress shares and ranch.
EFTA01266359: Additional trust material concerning Cypress shares and the property.
EFTA00076892: Estate inventory identifying Cypress as ranch title holder and reporting an assessed value.
EFTA01588756: Instruction to close a Zorro Trust bank account after the property transfer.
EFTA01612459: Epstein’s statements about the ranch’s acreage and an asserted $75 million offer. They are not a verified survey, appraisal, or sale.

Sources

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