High-profile real estate brothers convicted in sex trafficking case

High-profile real estate brothers convicted in sex trafficking case5 hours agoReutersTwo famous brothers who worked as real estate brokers have been convicted of drugging and raping dozens of women over the course of decades.Tal Alexander, 39, and Oren Alexander, 38, rose to prominence from their sales of luxury real-estate properties in New York and Miami. Along with a third brother Alon, 38, a jury found all three guilty of sex trafficking by a jury in New York.Prosecutors had accused the brothers of using their wealth to lure women to parties and luxury homes, then taking advantage of them. But their attorneys argued the women were willing participants.They were found guilty on all 10 criminal counts, including sex trafficking and sexual exploitation of a minor.Sentencing in the case is scheduled for 6 August and the brothers could face up to life in prison. In closing arguments, Assistant US Attorney Andrew Jones said the brothers committed crimes without remorse and with "callousness" and "a perverse sense of pride". Lawyers for the brothers had argued they were womanisers - but not rapists. "They're not drugging them, they're not raping them, but they're certainly pursuing them," said Marc Agnifilo, a lawyer for Oren Alexander. Agnifilo had previously represented rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs in his sex trafficking trial last year. During the five-week trial, 11 women - including several who said they were minors at the time of the incidents - testified against the brothers, alleging they gave them gifts and flew them to locations and parties where they fed them drugs before assaulting them. Prosecutors said the brothers "surreptitiously" put drugs in women's drinks, and told jurors that they "physically restrained and held down their victims during the rapes and sexual assaults and ignored screams and explicit requests to stop".Jurors were shown a video during the trial of Oren Alexander allegedly raping a drugged 17-year-old at his Manhattan apartment in 2009. During the trial, a new allegation surfaced as part of a separate lawsuit, when reality television star and top real estate agent Tracy Tutor accused Oren Alexander of drugging and sexually assaulting her in New York City in 2024. A lawyer for Alexander called the civil suit a "demonstrably false lawsuit for maximum media impact". US Attorney Jay Clayton, whose office in the Southern District of New York prosecuted the case, said the verdict is "an important step in our fight against sex trafficking"."The jury saw the Alexander's [sic] conduct for what it was—calculated, brutal sexual abuse that, unimaginably, the defendants celebrated," Clayton said in a statement. "This verdict cannot undo the effects of heinous abuse the Alexanders' many victims endured, but it does send a message: New Yorkers want to bring an end to sex trafficking in all our communities."Agnifilo said that that it was "not the verdict we were looking for, but we're going to keep fighting," the Associated Press reported.The BBC has contacted Agnifilo for comment. Tal and Oren Alexander were once prominent real-estate agents, working for property giant Douglas Elliman and listing homes for celebrities including Liam Gallagher, Lindsay Lohan, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. In 2022, they founded their own New York-based firm called Official. Alon worked at the family's private security firm, Kent Security.