(This story has been updated with information from the indictment and comments from press conference.)
Two of the most well-known ultraluxury brokers in the country have been arrested and charged with operating a sex trafficking scheme with their brother.
High-profile agents Oren Alexander and Tal Alexander and their brother Alon Alexander were arrested Wednesday, according to federal prosecutors and the Miami State Attorney's Office. The arrests were made following a federal investigation into sexual assault allegations against the three brothers.
In an indictment filed in New York federal court on Wednesday, prosecutors said that their investigation revealed that since around 2010, the brothers worked with each other and others to “repeatedly and violently drug, sexually assault and rape dozens of victims.” The scheme spanned multiple states, according to the indictment.
Some of those encounters were arranged “well in advance” with the promise of luxury travel, experiences and accommodations to “lure and entice” women who were then raped or assaulted, according to the indictment. Other instances were not planned out, the indictment said.
Prosecutors also said the brothers often drugged their victims ahead of their assaults.
Each of the brothers is charged with one count of engaging in a sex trafficking conspiracy, with a maximum sentence of life in prison, and one count of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, with a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison. Tal Alexander also faces a second count of sex trafficking.
A lawyer representing twin brothers Oren and Alon Alexander did not have a statement at the time of publication. Tal Alexander's lawyer, Deanna Paul, said her team had no comment when reached after the indictment was unsealed.
“The charges outlined in this indictment reflect some of the most heinous and dehumanizing crimes of sexual exploitation that our NYPD detectives investigate,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a statement Wednesday.
Meanwhile, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said that the investigation into the brothers “is far from over.”
The arrests are the latest development in a monthslong saga during which the three Alexander brothers have been named in various lawsuits that accused them of raping and assaulting women.
In July, the FBI launched an investigation into the allegations, The Wall Street Journal reported at the time. Industry publication The Real Deal first reported on the lawsuits against the brothers and their arrests.
The lawsuits and subsequent investigation sent shockwaves through the luxury real estate industry. Since getting their start in real estate at Douglas Elliman, Oren and Tal Alexander have brokered some of the largest residential deals in the country, including the sale of a $238 million penthouse in New York, the most expensive home sale in the U.S.
In 2022, the pair started their own real estate brand, Official Partners. Following the accusations, Oren and Tal Alexander stepped away from the firm, casting doubt on the brand's future as owners pulled out and agents left.