Douglas Elliman ordered that its workers protect all paperwork, texts, WhatsApp messages and different communications with its former high producers, Oren and Tal Alexander, in keeping with a replica of a memo obtained by The Actual Deal.
The brothers, together with their brother Alon, who isn’t in actual property, have been arrested last week by the FBI and charged with sex trafficking in a federal indictment that alleges the brothers raped and drugged ladies over the course of greater than a decade.
Oren and Tal rose to prominence over a decade at Douglas Elliman, the place they constructed a observe document of luxurious actual property offers in Miami and New York. The 2 brothers left the brokerage in 2022 to start out Official, a Facet-backed agency.
Elliman, in a memo despatched to workers, mentioned that preserving these paperwork doesn’t point out “something improper.” It cites examples of the kinds of information staff ought to retain, together with: paperwork associated to journey by the Alexander brothers, together with itineraries, flight manifests and information, lodge information, vacationers’ identification paperwork.
A duplicate of the memo obtained by The Actual Deal
Employees also needs to preserve and never destroy paperwork associated to allegations of wrongdoing by the brothers, together with alleged drug use, sexual harassment or misconduct, threats, intimidation, bodily violence and non-disclosure agreements, the memo states.
“This obligation supersedes the corporate’s customary e mail and doc retention coverage,” it reads.
Representatives for Douglas Elliman and the U.S. Lawyer Damian Williams didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Bloomberg reported Monday the brokerage was underneath stress from the Division of Justice, which is searching for info and getting ready to gather information from the corporate, together with findings from inner evaluations performed alongside lawsuits towards the previous high producers.
“We’re appalled by the Alexander brothers’ alleged surprising and disturbing conduct, and we categorical the utmost sympathy for anybody who could have been victimized by them,” a spokesperson informed the outlet.
An indictment filed within the Southern District of New York alleges Oren, his twin Alon and older brother Tal operated a “long-running sex trafficking scheme” in New York and Miami that included a number of males together with the brothers.
Seven ladies supplied accounts to the New York Occasions this summer season that described allegations they have been drugged after encounters with one or two of the brothers on the time. Tracy Tutor, a high Douglas Elliman agent who has appeared on “Million Greenback Itemizing Los Angeles,” mentioned she shared a drink with Oren after an occasion in 2014 after which blacked out.
A former Elliman agent informed the Occasions it was understood longtime chairman and CEO Howard Lorber was conscious of “not less than one incident,” involving the brothers. Lorber resigned immediately in October, months earlier than his deliberate retirement. Later, Bloomberg reported that Lorber admitted throughout an inner inquiry to having intimate relationships with two of the corporate’s brokers.
The brokerage has beforehand denied management had any data of allegations towards the brothers.
Learn extra
The U.S. Lawyer’s workplace claimed within the indictment Oren and Tal used their place in the true property business to steer ladies to attend occasions and events and likewise met ladies at these occasions, whom a number of of the brothers later sexually assaulted.
The three brothers are being held at detention centers in Miami. Oren and Alon are nonetheless in state custody, whereas Tal is at a federal facility and might be transferred to New York. Oren and Alon are anticipated to go earlier than a federal decide subsequent.
Sheridan Wall contributed reporting.
This text initially appeared on The Actual Deal. Click here to learn the complete story.
Source link