Alexander Brothers Face Federal Sex-Trafficking Trial

The Alexander brothers are scheduled to begin their federal criminal trial in Manhattan this week, facing serious allegations that they operated a long-running sex-trafficking scheme. Jury selection kicks off Tuesday in the same 26th-floor courtroom where Sean "Diddy" Combs was recently cleared of top sex trafficking counts.

Once counted among the nation's top luxury real estate brokers, Oren and Tal Alexander—along with their twin brother Alon—have been held at a notorious federal jail in Brooklyn since their December 2024 arrest in Miami. The case marks the Department of Justice's latest high-profile sex-trafficking prosecution to reach trial since the Combs case.

Manhattan federal prosecutors have accused the Alexander brothers of working together and with others to drug, sexually assault, and rape dozens of women over more than a decade. The alleged scheme ran from roughly 2008 to 2021 and targeted victims in posh locales like the Hamptons, Miami, and Manhattan.

Court filings detail that several attacks occurred at Hamptons mansions, while another was aboard a Bahamian-flagged cruise ship. The brothers face 12 felony counts, including conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion.

The superseding indictment ties the charges to eight accusers, including two who were minors. It specifically accuses Oren Alexander of recording himself and another person "engaging in sexual activity with a incapacitated 17-year-old girl in Manhattan."

Prosecutors allege the Alexanders used their wealth and prominent positions "to create and facilitate opportunities to rape and sexually assault female victims." The government's case rests on the claim that the brothers sometimes planned sexual assaults in advance, luring victims with the "promise of luxury experiences, travel, and accommodations."

Other times, prosecutors say the brothers chose victims by chance. Ahead of the sex attacks, they allegedly "shared photographs of women and girls to select those they found sufficiently attractive to invite."

The FBI investigation began after The Real Deal first reported in June 2024 that two women had filed civil lawsuits against Oren and Alon Alexander, accusing them of rape. Those lawsuits sparked a wave of additional allegations against the brothers.

Oren and Tal Alexander began their real estate careers at Douglas Elliman before launching their own brokerage, Official, in 2022. Alon Alexander, Oren's twin, was an executive at his family's private security firm.

The brothers have vehemently denied the sex crimes charges and all other allegations. They've been detained since their arrest, with their legal team arguing that the government has overreached.

The brothers were young adults navigating social situations that may not have been perfect, but that is not criminal conduct and bears no resemblance to trafficking.

Prosecutors have said that ahead of the trips, "the defendants and other men attending the trips pooled financial resources in order to pay for flights and other travel expenses for the women and girls."

Defense attorneys for the brothers have argued in court documents that the government overreached by bringing federal sex trafficking charges. The statute requires a "commercial sex act," which the indictment failed to allege.

In a June motion to dismiss, joined by all three brothers, Tal Alexander's attorneys wrote: "The Government alleges, as the 'thing of value,' that Defendants 'lured' their victims with 'promises of luxury experiences, travel and accommodations.' But that is not enough to establish a 'commercial sex act.'"

The lawyers argued that the accusers did not provide sex "on account of" those promises "as the statute requires." They added that the travel and accommodations "did not represent compensation for the sex acts."

The defense lawyers contended that the government's effort to frame the brothers' alleged conduct as federal sex trafficking "rests on a dangerously overbroad theory—one that would, if accepted, convert nearly any accusation of date rape into a federal sex trafficking offense."

If convicted at trial, the three brothers—who are 38 and 39 years old—could face up to life behind bars. The case represents a significant test of federal sex trafficking statutes and their application to non-commercial sexual assaults.

The trial will take place in the same 26th-floor courtroom where Sean "Diddy" Combs was cleared of top sex trafficking and racketeering counts last year, though convicted of lesser prostitution-related charges. The outcome could set important precedents for similar cases.

It will ultimately be up to the jury to decide whether the brothers are guilty of the sex trafficking charges they face. The defense maintains that the government's theory is dangerously overbroad, while prosecutors argue the brothers used their positions of power to exploit victims.

The Alexander brothers trial represents one of the most high-profile federal sex-trafficking prosecutions since the Combs case. As jury selection begins this week, the courtroom will be closely watched by legal observers and the public alike.

The case highlights the complex intersection of wealth, power, and alleged sexual exploitation. With the brothers facing life sentences if convicted, the trial's outcome will have profound implications for all parties involved.

As proceedings unfold in Manhattan, the defense's challenge to the government's legal theory will be tested against the weight of the allegations. The jury's decision will ultimately determine whether the brothers' alleged conduct meets the threshold for federal sex trafficking charges.