Alexander brothers sentenced to 30 years in federal sex trafficking case
The Alexander brothers were each sentenced to 30 years in prison on Tuesday, after being found guilty on all counts in their federal sex trafficking trial in New York City.
The former real estate titans, Oren and Alon Alexander, 39-year-old twins, along with their brother, Tal Alexander, 40, were accused by prosecutors of a "decade-long sex trafficking and sexual abuse scheme."
The three brothers will have to participate in sex offender treatment programs in prison, the judge said. In addition to their prison terms, the brothers were each sentenced to 10 years of supervised release.
Oren and Alon Alexander were also ordered to pay $300,000 each in fines, and Tal Alexander was ordered to pay $350,000 in fines, as well as restitution, which will be determined by attorneys from both sides. Oren Alexander, who was also convicted of sexually exploiting a minor by distributing homemade child sex abuse material of a 17-year-old girl in 2009, was ordered to pay an additional $50,000 immediately.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Espinosa asked the judge for the maximum sentence -- life in prison -- for all three brothers, arguing that the government does not believe one is more culpable than the others in what prosecutors called an "immense" sex trafficking scheme.
"They spent years designing, executing, and perfecting their playbook of luring victims with promises of luxury, drugging victims so they could not resist, and then forcibly raping them," prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum filed ahead of Tuesday's hearing. "The defendants carried out their playbook time and time again, drugging, raping, and assaulting dozens of victims. Over 70 women came forward with harrowing accounts of assault that stripped them of their dignity and autonomy."
Defense attorneys argued that the brothers should serve lighter sentences -- 15 years, the minimum for sex trafficking -- while maintaining their innocence.
"At no time did Alon, Oren or Tal rape or sexually assault another person. At no time did Alon, Oren or Tal entice, harbor, or maintain a woman to have commercial sex. At no time did Alon, Oren or Tal administer a drug or other substance to a woman against her will or without her knowledge. At no time did Oren intentionally make or distribute child pornography," defense attorneys wrote in their sentencing memorandum on behalf of the three brothers. "They are innocent of these charges, and they show honor and respect to our system of justice by vowing to fight for their innocence with all of their power for as long as is required, confident in the notion that one day they will be free to live out their lives with their children and families."
The brothers' friends and family members also submitted letters to Judge Valerie Caproni asking for leniency, describing their character and dedication to family.
The brothers addressed the court prior to learning their sentences during Tuesday's hearing in Manhattan, continuing to claim that they never sexually assaulted or drugged anybody.
Judge Caproni admonished the brothers for continuing to maintain their innocence.
"You did not have to stand up and say you’ve never raped anyone," Caproni said while handing down their sentences. "That's a lie and you know it."
A dozen women delivered victim impact statements during Tuesday's hearing, including six who testified during the federal trial.
Prosecutors thanked those who came forward in the case "to ensure that the defendants can no longer harm others."
"The defendants preyed on women and young girls, using drugs and violence to incapacitate them so they could rape them. The defendants did this for years --inflicting unspeakable harm on so many young women. And, for years, the defendants used their careers and social status to conceal the danger they posed," U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald said in a statement. "Today's sentence makes clear that this craven, sinister conduct is extraordinarily serious and will be met with serious punishment."
Throughout the five-week trial, 11 women testified that they were sexually assaulted by one or more of the brothers. At least eight of the women claimed they were drugged by one of the Alexanders.
The brothers denied sexually assaulting anyone or running a sex trafficking conspiracy, as prosecutors have charged. They pleaded not guilty. A spokesperson for the Alexander family called the verdict "deeply disappointing."
"We believe there are substantial problems with the evidence and the way this case was presented," the spokesperson, Juda S. Engelmayer, said in a statement following the jury's verdict in March. "The legal process does not end here. We will continue fighting every day until justice is done and the three brothers regain their freedom."
Oren and Tal Alexander gained notoriety in New York's luxury real estate market through their company, Alexander Group, and have been under federal investigation alongside Alon since late 2024.
They have been accused of luring women to nightclubs and parties, then drugging and sexually assaulting them.
In his closing statement during the spring trial, federal prosecutor Andrew Jones said there is "crushing evidence" that the brothers "masqueraded as party boys when really they were predators" who committed an "array of federal sex offenses."
Jones recounted the graphic accounts of the alleged victims and said the wealthy brothers had a "playbook" of luring women with exclusive parties, yachts and luxury travel so they could assault them.
During closing arguments, defense attorney Howard Srebnick conceded the brothers could be "obnoxious" and their conduct "inappropriate," but he told the jury, "Nobody was being assaulted, nobody had been trafficked."
