Luxury real estate brokers and their brother convicted in federal sex-trafficking trial
Luxury real estate brokers and their brother convicted in federal sex-trafficking trial
Three luxury real estate brokers, including two high-profile figures and their sibling, were found guilty on Monday in a federal sex trafficking case. The trio—Oren, Tal, and Alon Alexander—were accused of using drugs and their social standing to sexually exploit women. Federal prosecutors had charged the men in Manhattan in December 2024, citing a decade-long conspiracy to drug, assault, and rape multiple individuals.
The verdict came after a monthlong trial that involved testimony from over 30 witnesses. A jury of six men and six women began deliberating on Thursday and reached a decision by Monday. Prosecutors emphasized the brothers’ coordinated efforts, with Madison Smyser, the lead attorney, stating in her opening remarks that the defendants “raped women and girls … with promises of parties and trips, and when they got there the defendants raped them.”
Victim’s testimony highlights forced encounters
One accuser, who used the alias Katie Moore, recounted being drugged and assaulted by Alon Alexander following a night at a New York City club. “In that moment, it felt sudden. I know I wasn’t drunk or losing control; there was no gradual fade-out,” she said in a
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. Moore described how Alon and Tal Alexander led her and her friend away from the club, and she recalled only waking up naked on a bed with Alon standing over her.
“I tried to get out of the bed a few times, but Alon kept pushing me back down,” Moore added. “Finally, he sat down on the bed, and I was able to get up, saying, ‘I don’t want to have sex with you,’ and he replied, ‘You already did.’” Eleven accusers testified during the trial, with six named in the indictment. Two women also claimed they felt paralyzed before being assaulted by the brothers.
Defense claims sex was consensual
The defense argued that the victims willingly engaged in sexual activity and that financial incentives, not coercion, drove their involvement. Tal Alexander’s attorney, Deanna Paul, suggested the women were “looking for money” and that their accounts were “rehearsed.” She insisted they “were free to come and go” and dismissed the idea of forced encounters.
Oren Alexander’s attorney, Marc Agnifilo, acknowledged his client’s “lifestyle around pursuing women” but framed the case as one of personal offense rather than criminal intent. “They hurt a lot of people’s feelings while ascending professionally,” he said. “We got here because of that stuff, not because they are rapists or drugged women.” Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Espinosa countered that the defense’s claims were designed to confuse the jury, noting the women’s detailed accounts of “horrific crimes” and their persistence in testifying a decade later.
The brothers faced 12 charges in a superseding indictment but had two dropped after a witness was intimidated and failed to appear. They now face 10 counts and are also under criminal investigation in Florida. Additionally, a Beverly Hills real estate broker filed a civil suit against Oren Alexander, alleging drugging and sexual assault during a 2014 dinner. Oren’s civil attorney, Jason Goldman, called the lawsuit “salacious and demonstrably false,” claiming it was filed to “create headlines and taint the proceedings at a critical moment.”
