Three wealthy brothers, prominent figures in New York's luxury real estate market, were found guilty Monday in a high-profile federal sex trafficking trial. The jury determined they lured women to private parties before drugging and sexually assaulting them.
The defendants, Oren Alexander, 38, Tal Alexander, 39, and their brother Alon Alexander, were among the city's most prominent real estate agents. Oren and Tal Alexander had notably co-founded the luxury real estate agency Official, specializing in high-end properties.
According to the prosecution, the three men invited women, sometimes very young victims, to exclusive parties held in luxury residences or hotels. Prosecutors stated that some victims were drugged before being sexually assaulted.
The defense acknowledged that the brothers may have engaged in "rude" or inappropriate behavior, but contested the accusations of sexual assault and sex trafficking, claiming that the relationships were consensual.
The verdict was delivered before Federal Judge Valerie E. Caproni in New York, at the end of a trial closely followed by the media due to the defendants' notoriety in the luxury real estate sector.
The Alexander brothers now face potentially lengthy prison sentences. The case has attracted considerable attention in the United States due to the scale of the accusations and the high-profile status of the accused within the New York financial and real estate sectors.
