The jury has begun deliberating in the high-profile sex trafficking case involving the Alexander brothers.
Tal Alexander, 39, along with his twin siblings Oren and Alon, 38, are anxiously awaiting the verdict on ten serious charges. A conviction could potentially lead to life imprisonment for the trio.
After a five-week trial, a jury composed of seven women and six men retired on Thursday to determine the outcome. Throughout the proceedings, various family members of the brothers have been present to show their support.
Over 30 witnesses took the stand during the trial, including 11 women who accused the brothers of drugging and sexually assaulting them, with allegations dating back more than ten years.
Testimonies were often emotional, as accusers broke down while recounting distressingly similar stories. They described how they met the charismatic brothers and were drawn into a glamorous lifestyle that allegedly veered into abuse.
In his closing statement, Assistant US Attorney Andrew Jones argued that the testimony revealed a chilling pattern akin to a rapist’s ‘playbook.’ He detailed alleged incidents that occurred in various locations, such as mansions in the Hamptons, apartments in New York City, a ski trip in Aspen, Colorado, and a cruise in the Bahamas.
The trio used ‘their wealth and prominent positions in real estate to create and facilitate opportunities to sexually assault women’, according to their indictment.
The brothers have denied all charges and their defense has sought to portray their sexually charged behavior as at most morally reprehensible, but not criminal.
Jurors have left the court room to deliberate in the sex trafficking trial of the Alexander brothers (left to right: Oren, Tal, Alon)
Alon’s wife Shani Zigron has been a staunch supporter through the hearing, attending every day
The brothers’ mom Orly Alexander has stood by her sons and attended court every day with husband Shlomy. Orly is pictured here in a black bobble hat
They framed the prosecution’s litany of alarming texts, videos, and blog posts detailing their sexual exploits and alleged drug use as bravado and shock-jock humor.
Regardless of the outcome, the trial has blown apart any semblance of respectability for the brothers, who were high-flying, family men prior to their arrests.
Tal and Oren are best known as high end realtors who have sold $100 million properties in the Hamptons, Miami and New York City, while Alon had taken up the mantle at the family’s multi-million dollar security firm Kent.
All three are married although Tal’s wife Arielle is estranged and filed for divorce almost immediately after his arrest and the birth of their first child.
Alon’s wife Shani Zigron, a former Victoria’s Secret model, has been his unwavering supporter, dutifully attending each hearing and remaining mostly stone-faced during alleged victims’ testimony.
Only the sight of her closet being raided by FBI agents at the luxury Miami home that she once shared with Alon and their two children reduced her to tears as jurors were shown photos from the search.
Prior to that her only outburst had been during the portion of the trial discussing the admissibility of evidence.
Zigron, 30, erupted as Judge Valerie Caproni weighed arguments from the government and defense over whether a text chain involving the three brothers and their friends could be shown to the jury unredacted.
Oren Alexander is being supported by his wife, Kamila Hansen, who has attended court a handful of times
The brothers’ father Shlomy Alexander attempted to rush at a Daily Mail photographer as trial tensions spilled over
Oren’s model wife Kamila Hansen has attended a handful of times and appeared in court only briefly on two occasions.
Ahead of the trial the brother’s parents Orly and Shlomy Alexander issued a staunch statement standing by the trio, insisting: ‘We know who our boys are.’
However even they were left cringing at points during the explosive evidence, with dad Shlomy exiting the court room to avoid having to hear excerpts read aloud from a vulgar blog associated with Alon and Oren detailing their sexual conquests.
But the drama has not been confined to the courtroom. The pressure got to Shlomy last month and he lunged at a Daily Mail photographer outside court.
The trial has also been plagued by juror issues, including one man who had to be dismissed after he reportedly was heard stating that he had already decided on a verdict before the evidence concluded.
Another juror had to be subbed for an alternate after the historic blizzard which gripped New York City left her stranded in Florida.
Two charges tied to alleged attacks in the Hamptons in 2009 were also dropped over what the prosecution described as ‘witness intimidation’.
Witnesses have sobbed on the stand as they told the court how they were allegedly drugged and raped by the brothers
Tal Alexander (front, blue shorts) and identical twins Oren and Alon (back row) are facing federal sex trafficking charges in Manhattan court; they have pleaded not guilty
Identical twins Alon and Oren Alexander seen at Sir Ivan’s Medieval Madness birthday bash for model Mina Otsuka in 2011
The brothers are accused of drugging and raping dozens of women, although just eight are being charged in the case.
The additional accusers were called to testify in an attempt to bolster the prosecution’s claims the brothers engages in a pattern of predatory behavior.
Jones told the court their allegations are substantiated by ‘sheer number of victims who testified’ whose only unifying factor is that they ‘have one horrific thing in common: they were raped by these men.’
But in hours of cross-examination, the brothers’ attorneys have exposed inconsistencies in timelines, gaps in memory and discrepancies between witnesses’ accounts.
They have pointed out that none of the accusers immediately contacted police or sought drug tests, and that some exchanged friendly messages with the brothers afterward or continued to spend time in their company.
The legal bar the government must clear is high. To secure convictions on federal sex trafficking charges, prosecutors must persuade jurors not only that assaults occurred, but that the brothers knowingly used force, fraud or coercion as part of a coordinated venture – a burden legal experts often describe as notoriously difficult to meet.
Each brother faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years to life in prison if convicted on all counts, including charges of sex trafficking, conspiracy, and other offenses tied to the alleged drugging, sexual assault.
