Alexander Brothers Each Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Sex Trafficking Case

Former luxury real estate brokers Oren and Tal Alexander and their brother Alon were each sentenced Tuesday to 30 years in federal prison, seven months after a jury in New York convicted them in a sex trafficking case.

U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni handed down the sentences in Manhattan on Oct. 27 after hearing statements from victims, prosecutors, defense lawyers and the brothers themselves, NBC News and the BBC reported. Prosecutors had asked for life in prison; the defense had asked for the 15-year mandatory minimum.

The sentences at a glance

Beyond the prison terms, Caproni ordered 10 years of supervised release and sex-offender treatment approved by the probation office, and barred contact with anyone under 18 unless probation approves it, according to NBC News. The BBC reported the judge also imposed 20-year terms on additional counts, to be served concurrently with the 30-year terms.

Caproni said she would ask the Bureau of Prisons to consult experts on whether the brothers should be held together, saying she believes they are bad influences on one another.

What they were convicted of

A jury found the brothers guilty in March of 10 counts, including conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and sex trafficking by force, NBC News reported. The five-week trial included testimony from 11 women who said they were lured with promises of parties and trips, drugged and sexually assaulted over a period of years; six of the women were part of the indictment. Prosecutors in the Southern District of New York said in a sentencing memo that more than 70 women had come forward with allegations.

Oren and Tal Alexander became well known selling high-end properties in New York and Miami, working at Douglas Elliman before founding their own firm, Official, in 2022, according to the BBC. Alon worked at the family’s private security company.

What the judge said

“Your conduct was monstrous,” Caproni said. She described the brothers as “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” noting they were portrayed both as devoted fathers and as predators, but said she did not believe they were beyond redemption, which was part of her reasoning for declining life sentences, NBC News reported.

She rejected the defense argument that the conduct reflected “party culture” or ended once the men married. “Rape is about power,” she said.

Victims and prosecutors

The court heard from 12 women, some using court-assigned pseudonyms, according to the BBC. Many asked for the maximum sentence and described lasting trauma. Prosecutor Elizabeth Espinosa told the court the brothers “honed their methods of luring women with the promise of luxury” and argued for life terms.

The defense

The brothers have maintained their innocence. Their lawyers argued at trial that the encounters were consensual and that the accusers were partly motivated by money, and in sentencing filings they denied that any of the men had raped or sexually assaulted anyone, NBC News reported. Attorneys for all three asked for 15 years, citing their roles as fathers.

In court, Oren and Alon Alexander again denied the assaults and asked for the minimum. Tal Alexander expressed regret for being “immature and careless with other people’s feelings,” while saying he understood the jury’s verdict.

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