Israeli-American founders of US luxury real estate charged with sex trafficking

The co-founders of a US luxury real estate brokerage have been arrested on sex-trafficking charges, federal prosecutors say, accusing them of raping dozens of victims.

The Manhattan US Attorney’s office accuses brothers and co-founders of the Official brokerage Oren Alexander and Tal Alexander, as well as their brother Alon Alexander, of drugging and sexually assaulting victims for more than a decade starting in 2010.

The brothers were born to Israeli parents but grew up in Miami, Florida. They got into real estate through their father, Shlomi, a residential developer.

They often invited women to parties or trips, where they would rape them alone or together, sometimes within hours of meeting them, prosecutors say in an eight-page indictment. They sometimes offered the victims travel or concert tickets after the assaults, according to the indictment.

They each face one count of sex trafficking conspiracy and one count of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion. Tal Alexander faces an additional count of sex trafficking.

A lawyer for Tal Alexander, 38, declines to comment. Lawyers for twins Oren and Alon Alexander, both 37, do not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Oren and Tal Alexander stepped down from their roles at Official in June, The New York Times reports. Alon Alexander has worked as an executive at a private security firm, prosecutors say.

Official does not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Oren, Tal and Alon Alexander have also been sued in civil court over sexual-assault allegations. All three brothers have denied the allegations.

Official focuses on brokering high-end real estate sales and rentals in New York, Miami, the Hamptons and Aspen, Colorado.

Williams’ office has prioritized sex-trafficking cases in recent years, having secured the conviction of Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell and brought charges against hip-hop empresario Sean “Diddy” Combs. Maxwell recently lost an appeal of her conviction, and Combs has pleaded not guilty.

Times of Israel Staff contributed to this report.