Alexander brothers case highlights uncommon sex trafficking tactics
MIAMI - The case against the Alexander brothers stands out from most sex trafficking cases, according to experts, because of the aggressive and immediate methods they allegedly used to exploit their victims.
"Trafficking doesn't occur in just one form and it doesn't happen in just one way," said Kristi House CEO Amanda Altman, whose organization assists trafficking victims.
Federal prosecutors allege the Alexander brothers used coercion to lure victims into private meetings or travel with them, sometimes with the help of party promoters.
In some instances, prosecutors said the brothers drugged the women.
Altman noted this approach is starkly different from the grooming process typically seen in trafficking cases.
"Typically, a male will get involved with a female and, over months, groom her for a life of trafficking," Altman explained. "But in this case, it appears they were going straight to the trafficking."
Altman pointed out that, in many instances, victims were allegedly drugged during their first meeting or date with the brothers - an uncommon tactic in cases where traffickers typically rely on building trust over time.
"This is not what we usually see during a grooming process," Altman said.
While Altman's organization has worked on smaller-scale cases involving immediate coercion, she said the Alexander case is a reminder of the risks that increase during major events, like Miami's Super Bowl 54 in 2020.
"Law enforcement conducted sting operations to try and prevent and break up trafficking during events like that," Altman said.
Prosecutors believe more victims may come forward in the Alexander case, which continues to unfold.
Attorneys for the brothers maintain their clients are innocent and deny all allegations.
Who are the Alexander brothers?
Tal, Oren and Alon Alexander were indicted on federal sex trafficking charges in New York.
Officials from the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced the charges during a Wednesday afternoon news conference. Authorities have accused the brothers of running a sex trafficking scheme and allegedly assaulting dozens of women between 2010 and 2021, dating back to when the men were in high school in some of those cases.
Oren and Tal Alexander are the founders of the luxury real estate firm Official, which has offices in Manhattan and Miami Beach. Alon, Oren's twin, worked at the family's private security firm, authorities said.
Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said the brothers arranged domestic and international trips where they carried out the alleged crimes and recruited women by providing things like travel, luxury accommodations and access to exclusive events. He said they met their alleged victims in person, over social media and on dating apps.
The brothers and other men would then give the women drugs, including cocaine, mushrooms and GHB, which allegedly "caused some of the women to be physically unable to fight back or to escape," Williams said. He added the brothers also carried out other alleged attacks "by chance," at bars, clubs and social events.
The brothers were arrested in Miami Beach and face separate state felony charges along with their cousin, Ohad Fisherman, who has not yet been arrested. The Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office and Miami Beach Police held a joint conference on Wednesday on the multistate investigation.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle discussed three separate incidents with three different victims that occurred in December 2016, October 2017 and October 2021.
In the first incident, a victim said Alon Alexander invited her to attend a barbecue at his Miami Beach apartment along with Oren Alexander and Fisherman. The victim said she was raped by the twin brothers, who were "arguing about who was going to rape her first," Rundle said.
In the second incident, Oren Alexander invited another victim to his apartment, gave her a glass of wine and directed her toward the bedroom. At this moment, the victim said that she began to feel like "she was no longer in control of her own body" and that Oren Alexander raped her while she felt she couldn't move or speak, Rundle said.
Rundle said in the third incident, Oren Alexander raped another victim after inviting her and several friends to his house.
Williams said the brothers are expected to be taken to New York to face the sex trafficking.