The Alexander brothers — Oren, Tal and Alon — go on trial in Manhattan on sex-trafficking and related charges after defense lawyers asked a judge to dismiss or narrow recently revised counts. Jury selection is expected to take two days, with opening statements scheduled for next Monday and the trial potentially running into early March. Prosecutors allege the men used paid travel, luxury stays and drugs to facilitate sexual assaults; the defense says encounters were consensual and that last-minute indictment changes prejudice their case. Judge Valerie E. Caproni has limited some government requests and will rule on which counts proceed.
Luxury Real Estate Brothers Go On Trial in New York in Sex-Trafficking Case After Late Indictment Revisions
FILE - In this screenshot, Miami Dade Circuit Court Judge Mindy S. Glazer is seen via video presiding over the first court appearance of Alon Alexander, who is charged with sexual battery along with his twin brother, Oren Alexander, on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024, in Miami. (Miami Dade Circuit Court via AP, Pool, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Three brothers who built careers in luxury real estate are scheduled to stand trial in Manhattan on sex-trafficking and related charges, after defense lawyers renewed a request to dismiss or narrow charges they say were revised at the last minute.
Case Overview
Oren, Tal and Alon Alexander — two of them former luxury real estate brokers and two who are twins — were arrested in Miami in December 2024 and have been held without bail. Prosecutors allege the brothers lavished women with paid travel and upscale accommodations, then provided drugs or drugged drinks before sexually assaulting them at vacation destinations including New York's Hamptons. Defense attorneys say encounters were consensual and that recent changes to the indictment have prejudiced their ability to prepare.
Charges And Schedule
Jury selection is expected to last about two days, with opening statements set for the following Monday in a trial that could run into early March. The government has updated the indictment multiple times in recent months; the version filed most recently was the third revision in two months.
Defense Arguments
Defense lawyers complain prosecutors repeatedly revised counts and added allegations on short notice, leaving inadequate time to investigate. They acknowledge the men had sexual relations with some women but maintain those encounters were consensual. The defense also disputed the authenticity of a birth certificate tied to a 2009 sexual-exploitation-of-a-minor allegation against Oren Alexander, saying the document originates from a former Soviet republic now in a war zone.
Defense filing: "The defense should not be forced to trial on a conspiracy count that was changed at the last minute."
Rulings And Government Positions
U.S. District Judge Valerie E. Caproni has shown some receptivity to defense concerns about eleventh-hour changes. She denied a recent government request to call a witness on a conspiracy charge because the request was filed after a court deadline to disclose evidence. Caproni also barred Alon Alexander from using his 2019 engagement and subsequent marriage as evidence that he abandoned any alleged conspiracy.
Prosecutors say the brothers typically met alleged victims through dating apps, social events, bars, nightclubs and party promoters, then provided drugs — including cocaine and psychedelic mushrooms — or covertly drugged drinks before committing sexual assaults.
Other Notable Details
One count accuses Oren Alexander of persuading or coercing an incapacitated 17-year-old (17 years, 10 months) in April 2009 to engage in sexually explicit conduct that could be filmed; that count carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years if convicted. Defense counsel challenge forensic and documentary evidence tied to that allegation.
Separately, The New York Times reported that a 45-year-old Australian woman who had accused Oren and Alon Alexander of sexual assault was found dead near Sydney late last year; New South Wales coroner's officials described the death as non-suspicious.
The court will address ongoing motions about which counts will proceed at trial, and both sides are preparing to present opening statements next week.
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