Alexander Brothers Denied Bond in Federal Sex Trafficking Case
Despite offering exorbitant bail packages, the brothers failed to convince prosecutors that they should be granted bail. They will be held until their trial.
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Tal, Oren and Alon Alexander failed Wednesday to convince federal prosecutors to grant them bond in the sex trafficking case against them.
During a detention hearing on Wednesday, Judge Valerie Caproni of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York issued the ruling: The Miami Herald reported. In December, the FBI arrested the brothers in Florida following an indictment alleging that all three brothers were involved in a long-standing sex trafficking scheme dating back to at least 2010.
In state charges against the brothers, a Florida judge had granted bail to Oren and Alon, with the caveat that the bail agreement could be voided if federal officials ruled they should not be granted bail. Due to Judge Caproni’s ruling on Wednesday, Oren and Alon will not be released on bail.
In those cases, Oren and Alon were given bail amounts of $3 million and $2 million, but when it came time to negotiate bail packages with federal prosecutors, they were less accepting of the brothers’ proposed terms, even after offering exorbitant packages of “ any amount,” supported by the entirety of their property and that of their families. They had also offered to be monitored by a private, independent security company while under house arrest.
The brothers’ lawyers tried to prove they were not a flight risk, a sticking point for federal prosecutors in their hearings, citing their family ties to Israel. Defense attorneys also sought to contrast the case with those of rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs and Jeffrey Epstein confidant Ghislaine Maxwell, who were arrested on similar charges. Bloomberg reported.
Tal’s attorneys had pointed out that Combs had also been charged with obstruction of justice for trying to coerce witnesses — a charge the brothers did not face. Still, federal prosecutors seemed fixated on how the brothers, like Combs and Epstein’s circle, used their wealth and privilege to lure victims.
Oren also took the unusual step of offering as evidence to prosecutors a polygraph exam administered by a former FBI agent, James Orr. Orr concluded that Oren was honest in answering these questions:
- Have you had sex with [victim-2] knowing she had secretly been given drugs?
- Have you had sex with in New York? [victim-2] knowing she had secretly been given drugs?
- Have you had any kind of sex with [victim-2] knowing she had been secretly given drugs?
- Have you had any kind of sex with in New York? [victim-2] when you knew she had secretly been given drugs?
However, the questioning did not include questions about any other alleged victims involved in the charges. There was no evidence that Tal or Alon were given such poly exams.
The brothers will be held in federal prison and will stand trial at a later date. They face a minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of life in prison.
Tal, Oren and Alon have continued to deny the allegations against them, arguing that any encounters they had with women were consensual.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that a search of Tal’s Manhattan apartment found a hard drive containing explicit videos of at least one of the brothers and another man being “physically manipulated.”[ing] the women’s bodies” to have intercourse with them, despite the fact that it was clear that the women were “not actively participating” or “turning away.”
The brothers had become the recipients of dozens of women’s allegations of sexual assault and rape in recent months through lawsuits and first-hand accounts, but the hard drive appears to be the first physical evidence against them to be made public.
In addition to the sexual assault and sex trafficking charges against them, Tal and Oren are also being sued by Side, the white label company that backed their luxury real estate agency Official. Side alleges that Tal, Oren and Official Partners defaulted on a $4.6 million loan, repayment of which is now complicated by federal charges. Tal and Oren have also denied that the allegations carry any weight.
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Email Lillian Dickerson
