Oren and Alon Alexander, who are facing federal sex trafficking charges alongside brother Tal Alexander, have been charged with a new count of sexual abuse by physical incapacitation, according to a superseding indictment filed in court.
Around January 2012, according to the indictment, Oren and Alon allegedly engaged in a sex act with a woman “while she was physically incapable of declining participation” while on a “Bahamian-flagged cruise ship” that departed from the U.S.
The three brothers also face 11 counts of conspiring to drug, sexually assault and rape dozens of women in Miami, New York City, the Hamptons and other locations.
The three brothers have pleaded not guilty to all counts, including the new one Oren and Alon now face.
Oren and Tal Alexander were longtime luxury brokers at Douglas Elliman before launching their own (now shuttered) firm with partners, Official, at Side. Alon Alexander had been working as a security executive for a family firm.
In a statement on Tuesday, the three brothers’ parents, Shlomi and Orly Alexander, asserted their sons’ innocence.
“Our family has been living with this ordeal since allegations first appeared in civil lawsuits and were widely publicized long before any criminal charges were filed, and the toll has been deeply painful. We believe our sons are innocent and hope that they are judged solely on the evidence presented in court, free from speculation or public narrative.”
The hearing on Tuesday was largely regarding logistics of the impending trial, which is scheduled for Jan. 26. The court made decisions on the jury questionnaire and whether some alleged victims would be allowed to testify under a pseudonym.
One of the brothers’ defense attorneys, Teny Geragos, also expressed frustration over prosecutors not providing evidence, including videos and photos from witnesses or co-conspirators, in a timely way. After prosecutors acknowledged that they were doing their best with the FBI agents provided to them, Judge Valerie Caproni said the Justice Department should be able to reallocate its resources from other high profile cases to this one: for instance, from the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Alon Alexander also sought to dismiss one count against him in court this week based on his marriage and alleged embracing of a monogamous lifestyle after he became engaged in 2019.
Judge Caproni rejected the request to use such evidence at trial, according to a filing on Monday, which stated Alon’s engagement and marriage are “irrelevant to the charged conspiracy,” and argued that it does not prove he stopped participating in the sex trafficking conspiracy or had any intention of ceasing to help Oren or Tal with such activities.
The three brothers and their defense team were also accused by one victim of carrying out a “campaign of harassment” as a form of retaliation for her participation in the case, according to a motion filed in the case in early January.
The woman claimed that after her identity was revealed to the defense, three of her friends were contacted by a man who identified himself as an investigator who proceeded to characterize the woman as “a ‘willing’ victim.” The alleged victim’s friends were also contacted by a member of the defense team who allegedly identified himself as a reporter.
Opinion pieces, allegedly placed by a publicist for the Alexanders, also sought to paint the woman as inconsistent and unreliable in her testimony.
The brothers continue to be held in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center while awaiting trial.
