Luxury real estate tycoon brothers charged with sex trafficking
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Damian Williams, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, with images of the Alexander brothers during a news conference in New York City on Wednesday. Photo: Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Two real estate tycoons and their brother were arrested on federal sex trafficking charges, New York prosecutors announced Wednesday.
The big picture: Oren and Tal Alexander are accused of using their wealth and prominent positions in real estate in ultra-luxury markets in N.Y. and Florida for over a decade to "repeatedly and violently drug, sexually assault and rape dozens of women," per an indictment unsealed Wednesday.
- The two brothers and Oren Alexander's twin, Alon Alexander, have previously denied sexual assault allegations after lawsuits were filed in civil court against them earlier this year.
Driving the news: The brothers were arrested in Miami, Florida, the city listed by officials as their hometown, though prosecutors say they also reside in New York. They were expected to be transferred to New York.
- They're each charged with one count of engaging in a sex trafficking conspiracy and one count of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion. Tal Alexander faces an additional charge of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion.
Zoom in: The brothers are accused of identifying and luring women to events through methods including social media, dating apps, in-person encounters or via party promoters in a sex trafficking scheme that allegedly began in 2010.
- "At times, the Alexander brothers arranged for these sexual assaults well in advance, using the promise of luxury experiences, travel and accommodations to lure and entice women to locations where they were then forcibly raped or sexually assaulted, sometimes by multiple men, including one or more of the Alexander brothers," the indictment alleges.
- "As of today, law enforcement has interviewed dozens of women who reported being forcibly raped or sexually assaulted by at least one of the Alexander brothers," said Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, at a briefing in Manhattan on Wednesday.
- "This conduct, as alleged, was heinous."
What they're saying: While a lawyer for 38-year-old Tal Alexander declined to comment on the charges, a lawyer for 37-year-old Alon Alexander, said he would plead not guilty, per Reuters.
- Susan Necheles, who represents Oren Alexander, said in a media statement that her client is "innocent" and the "evidence will show that neither he nor his brothers ever committed a crime."
Zoom out: Oren and Tal Alexander co-founded the real estate brokerage, Official. Its website states that the firm operates in the New York, Miami, Aspen and the Hamptons markets. The brothers stepped down from their roles in June, per the New York Times.
- Alon Alexander worked at a private security firm, prosecutors said.
