Three brothers, including two of America's most successful luxury real estate brokers, have been convicted of sex trafficking charges following a five-week trial in New York. Oren and Alon Alexander, 38-year-old twins, and their older brother Tal Alexander, 39, were found guilty on Monday after being accused of using drugs and force to rape dozens of women.
During the trial, 11 women testified that they were sexually assaulted by one or more of the brothers. Prosecutors said more than 60 women have alleged rape by the Alexanders, with attacks occurring after invitations to lavish locations such as the Hamptons, a Caribbean cruise, and a ski trip in Aspen, Colorado. The brothers met women at nightclubs, parties, and on dating apps, often paying for flights and luxury accommodation.
Defence lawyers argued that the accusers had faulty memories or were seeking financial gain, conceding the brothers were womanisers but insisting any sex was consensual. However, prosecutors countered that only two accusers have pending lawsuits, both of whom are wealthy. One woman, who said she was raped by Alon Alexander in Aspen in 2017 when she was 17, told jurors: 'I don't want their money. I just don't want them to have it.'
Lindsey Acree, an artist and gallery owner, testified that Tal Alexander raped her in the Hamptons in 2011 after she became disoriented from less than half a glass of wine. She said she sued because the Alexanders 'kept calling us gold diggers'. Prosecutors also presented text messages, emails, and a blog post titled 'It's not rape if …' as evidence of the brothers' attitudes towards women.
Oren and Tal Alexander were brokers at Douglas Elliman before founding their own firm, Official. Alon Alexander worked at the family's private security firm. The brothers also face about two dozen civil lawsuits, including one filed by Tracy Tutor, star of Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles, who alleges Oren Alexander drugged and assaulted her in a restaurant bathroom.
