Jury selection begins in rape, trafficking trial of 3 brothers

by · UPI

Jan. 20 (UPI) -- Jury selection was set to begin Tuesday in New York in the trial of three Miami Beach brothers who face rape and sex trafficking charges.

Oren Alexander, Tal Alexander and Alon Alexander are accused of raping and sexually abusing women from 2002 to 2021 in Florida and New York. More than 60 people have said they were raped by at least one of the brothers.

All three brothers pleaded not guilty and were being held without bail in Florida.

Oren and Tal are successful ultra luxury real estate brokers in the Miami Beach area. Alon is Oren's twin brother.

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The brothers' latest indictment said they gave the victims free travel and luxury stays before drugging and raping them in vacation destinations. An Australian woman, Kate Whiteman, the first to accuse the brothers of sexual abuse, was found dead near Sydney late last year, but officials said her death was not suspicious.

If convicted in federal court, the Alexanders could face 15 years to life in prison. Oren and Alon also face state charges in Florida. They all have pending civil lawsuits against them.

The Alexanders' parents, Orly Alexander and Schlomy Alexander, have said their sons are innocent.

"We have been living with this ordeal since allegations first surfaced in civil lawsuits and were widely amplified long before any criminal charges were brought. The impact on our family has been profound and deeply painful," the parents said in a statement to ABC News. "We believe our sons are innocent, and that if they are judged on the evidence presented at trial -- free from speculation or public narrative -- the truth will prevail. We ask only for a fair process, grounded in facts, where their voices can finally be heard."

A December 2024 court filing from the U.S. Department of Justice alleges:

"Evidence from the investigation, including multiple victim and witness accounts, shows that the Alexander Brothers began engaging in acts of sexual violence, including gang rapes, while still in high school in Miami. The Government has interviewed multiple women who report being raped by at least one of the Alexander Brothers in high school in the early 2000s, including victims who were raped by groups of boys including the Alexander Brothers."

As adults, the pattern continued, the document said.

"This conduct included both pre-planned trips and events for which the defendants recruited women to attend and then raped and sexually assaulted them.

"On many occasions, the Alexander Brothers invited their friends and Oren and Tal's real estate clients to also stay at these properties. Then, during these trips and events, the Alexander Brothers, alone, together, and with others, drugged and forcibly raped or sexually assaulted their victims."

They also met women by chance and lured them to hotel rooms or homes and raped them, it alleges.

"On some occasions, one of the defendants would meet a woman on a dating application or on social media and, under the guise of exploring a potential relationship, invite the woman to his apartment before forcibly raping her. ... Many victims told the brothers 'no' or even screamed while the rapes were happening but, on each occasion, the defendants ignored any verbal resistance."

The trial is expected to last until early March.