NEW YORK — A jury has found three brothers guilty of sex trafficking Monday following a five-week trial that exposed how they allegedly drugged and sexually assaulted numerous women while using their wealth and luxurious lifestyle to lure victims.
Eleven women took the stand to testify about sexual assaults committed by one or more of the defendants: 38-year-old twins Oren and Alon Alexander, and their 39-year-old brother Tal Alexander.
The victims detailed assaults that took place during trips to upscale destinations, including the Hamptons, a Caribbean cruise, and a skiing vacation in Aspen, Colorado. Prosecutors stated that over 60 women have accused one or more of the brothers of rape.
Defense attorneys argued that the alleged victims had unreliable recollections or were motivated by the brothers’ wealth. While acknowledging their clients were promiscuous, the defense maintained all sexual encounters were consensual.
Deliberations started Thursday before the guilty verdict was reached.
Both Oren and Tal Alexander previously worked as brokers at major real estate company Douglas Elliman before launching their own business called Official. Alon Alexander was employed at the family’s private security company.
In addition to the criminal charges, the brothers are facing approximately two dozen civil lawsuits, including one filed Thursday by Tracy Tutor, who appears on Bravo’s “Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles.” Tutor claims Oren Alexander drugged and attacked her in a restaurant restroom during a real estate industry event in New York City.
After these lawsuits began emerging, numerous additional women stepped forward with allegations of sexual harassment and assault, revealing that the brothers’ inappropriate behavior toward women had been widely known within real estate circles for years.
Throughout the trial, many witnesses testified they suspected they had been drugged after accepting drinks from the brothers. Several described losing physical control after consuming less than one alcoholic beverage.
The brothers encountered their victims at nightclubs, social gatherings, and through dating applications, often inviting them on expensive trips to exclusive locations while covering travel and accommodation costs. One witness testified about meeting the brothers at a 2012 party at actor Zac Efron’s Manhattan residence. She said she had minimal contact with the actor, who faces no allegations of wrongdoing, before going to a nightclub and later awakening naked with an unclothed Alon Alexander standing nearby.
Prosecutors disputed claims that accusers were pursuing financial gain through litigation. Prosecutor Elizabeth Espinosa informed jurors that only two victims have pending lawsuits, and both women are financially well-off.
One witness who testified about being raped by Alon Alexander in Aspen, Colorado, in 2017 when she was 17 years old, described herself as a billionaire’s daughter.
“I don’t want their money. I just don’t want them to have it,” she told the jury.
Lindsey Acree, a Brooklyn-based artist and gallery owner, testified that Tal Alexander and another man raped her at a Hamptons residence during summer 2011 after she became severely disoriented from drinking less than half a glass of wine, leaving her feeling paralyzed.
The 40-year-old woman explained she filed a lawsuit against Tal Alexander last year despite never needing “their money” because she was frustrated that the Alexanders “kept calling us gold diggers, shake down artists, con artists.”
“If there’s a kid with a stick who keeps hitting people, you take their stick away,” she testified. “Money is their stick, so you take it away so they can’t hurt people anymore.”
The Associated Press typically does not name individuals who report being victims of sexual assault unless they publicly identify themselves, as both Acree and Tutor have chosen to do.
Beyond witness accounts, prosecutors presented text messages and emails showing the brothers apparently bragging about sexual encounters and discussing how different drugs affect women’s ability to resist, along with a blog post titled: “It’s not rape if …”
According to prosecutors, the brothers exchanged emails about smuggling drugs — referred to as “party favors” — onto a cruise ship, filmed at least one assault, and distributed photographs of their victims.
