Real estate stars Oren, Tal Alexander, brother charged with sex trafficking

Federal prosecutors in New York accused prime real estate brokers Tal and Oren Alexander and their brother, Alon, of drugging and raping “dozens of victims” over greater than a decade.

The brothers “used their wealth and positions to create and facilitate alternatives to rape and sexually assault ladies,” in line with the newly unsealed federal indictment charging them with intercourse trafficking.

At instances, they “lured” ladies with luxurious journey to locations the place they had been then sexually assaulted, the indictment alleged.

Additionally they allegedly “labored collectively and with others recognized and unknown” to hold out the intercourse trafficking scheme. Damian Williams, U.S. Legal professional for the Southern District of New York, declined to specify who else is beneath investigation within the case.

The brothers — who had been synonymous with Manhattan’s luxurious actual property market earlier than allegations in opposition to them first surfaced earlier this 12 months — had been arrested in Miami on Wednesday morning.

They every face one depend of conspiracy to commit intercourse trafficking and one depend of intercourse trafficking of a sufferer by power, fraud, or coercion, in line with the eight-page indictment in U.S. District Court docket in Manhattan. Tal Alexander faces an extra depend of intercourse trafficking of a sufferer by power, fraud, or coercion.

If convicted, the brothers might face jail sentences of 15 years to life, prosecutors stated.

Additionally on Wednesday, Florida State Legal professional Katherine Fernandez Rundle unveiled separate expenses in opposition to Oren and Alon Alexander associated to alleged sexual assaults within the state.

Oren was charged with two counts of sexual battery in two separate incidents, and one depend of sexual battery by a number of perpetrators, Fernandez Rundle introduced at a press convention. Alon faces one depend of sexual battery by a number of perpetrators.

The New York prosecutors on Wednesday additionally urged federal judges in Manhattan and Miami to keep the brothers detained, arguing they “pose an ongoing and important hazard to the group and current a critical threat of flight.”

That detention memo additionally famous that whereas the charged conduct came about between 2010 and 2021, the federal investigation discovered that the Alexander brothers have raped and sexually assaulted victims for greater than 20 years — beginning after they had been in highschool.

An legal professional for Oren, Susan Necheles, stated in an announcement to NBC Information, “Oren Alexander is harmless. The proof will present that neither he nor his brothers ever dedicated against the law.”

Isabelle Kirshner, an legal professional for Alon and Oren, didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark. Deanna Paul, an legal professional for Tal, declined to remark. 

“This conduct, as alleged, was heinous,” the U.S. legal professional Williams stated at a press convention Wednesday afternoon.

Williams famous that the Division of Justice remains to be investigating allegations in opposition to the Alexander brothers, and urged others with details about the case to come back ahead. “We aren’t carried out,” he stated.

A number of ladies have beforehand filed civil lawsuits in Manhattan accusing the brothers of sexual assault. The brothers have denied wrongdoing.

“We’re glad to listen to that there’ll lastly be some measure of accountability for the Alexander brothers and justice for his or her many victims,” David Gottlieb, an legal professional for the plaintiffs in quite a few the civil fits, stated in a statement.

“We applaud all of the survivors who’ve had the energy and braveness to talk up about their unimaginable experiences after years of ache and struggling,” Gottlieb stated.

The federal court docket filings unsealed Wednesday accused the brothers of finishing up the long-running intercourse trafficking scheme by deceiving and coercing victims to journey with or meet them in personal places.

The brothers then allegedly “used numerous strategies, together with drugging the victims and, at instances, bodily power, to rape and sexually assault the victims — typically alone and typically collectively.”

The indictment describes a variety of strategies the brothers allegedly employed to facilitate the scheme.

The brothers organized occasions and worldwide journeys as “bait” to entice ladies, who had been then “often” assaulted, the indictment alleged.

They allegedly would additionally work with celebration promoters to get ladies to attend events and occasions at their trip properties, together with their home within the Hamptons. Earlier than these occasions, they and others would procure medicine together with cocaine, mushrooms and the drug GHB, which is taken into account a date rape drug.

Oren and Tal particularly allegedly “used their distinguished positions in the actual property trade” to get ladies to attend occasions and events. Alon runs the household’s personal safety enterprise, Kent Safety.

The brothers secretly drugged ladies’s drinks “on a number of events,” main a few of them to really feel bodily and mentally impaired, the indictment alleged.

“Instantly” after assaulting victims, the brothers typically provided them “materials objects, together with journey, live performance tickets, and different luxurious experiences,” in line with the indictment.

They’d additionally use related ways to rape ladies they met by likelihood at nightclubs or events, luring ladies to a second location, the prosecutors alleged.

One of many brothers would typically meet ladies on-line and invite them to his residence, prosecutors stated within the detention memo.

Victims allegedly reported “in most cases” that one of many brothers would give them a drink in some unspecified time in the future within the course of, after which they felt signs of being “unwittingly dosed with a substance that impaired their bodily capability” or recollections.

“Many victims instructed the brothers ‘no’ and even screamed whereas the rapes had been taking place however, on every event, the defendants ignored any verbal resistance,” prosecutors alleged within the memo.

— CNBC’s Jim Forkin contributed to this report.