Alexander brothers each receive 30 years for sex trafficking

Three brothers accused of using wealth and luxury real estate connections to lure women to parties and trips were each sentenced Tuesday to 30 years in federal prison for sex trafficking.

U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni imposed the sentences in New York after a jury convicted twins Oren and Alon Alexander, 39, and their brother Tal, 40, in March. The brothers had pleaded not guilty and maintained that their sexual encounters were consensual. Prosecutors sought life sentences; defense lawyers asked for the mandatory minimum of 15 years.

The sentences include 10 years of supervised release. NBC News reported that Caproni ordered sex offender treatment and barred the brothers from contact with any child under 18 unless approved by the probation office. She fined Oren and Alon $300,000 each and Tal $350,000, the outlet reported.

Jurors found the brothers guilty on all 10 counts, including conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion. Prosecutors said the men used their wealth, influence and social connections to draw women into situations where they drugged and sexually assaulted them. In a court filing, prosecutors said the brothers had raped or sexually assaulted at least 70 women.

The five-week trial heard testimony about assaults in Miami, New York and other locations, including the Hamptons. According to CBS News, prosecutors said the pattern began as early as 2001 or 2002, when the brothers were in high school. An indictment alleged that the brothers sometimes photographed women during the assaults, CBS News reported.

Women who spoke at the sentencing hearing described lasting trauma. Bela Koval recalled traveling to the Hamptons: “What looked like a beautiful place became a mansion of horror, a place full of dark secrets.” Maya Miller, who described being raped by Tal, told the court, “I carry a quiet funeral inside me,” according to NBC News.

Lindsey Acree addressed Oren directly, CBS News reported. “Why? For you? Because you did some really messed up stuff,” she said. “I don’t think, a life sentence doesn’t even begin to cover it.” The women and prosecutors urged Caproni to impose the maximum sentences.

Before sentencing, the brothers asked for leniency. NBC News reported that Oren denied the assaults in his remarks to the court, while Alon insisted he was innocent and had never raped any women. Tal expressed regret for being “immature and careless with other people’s feelings.” Their lawyers argued at trial that the encounters were consensual and acknowledged that the men had sometimes behaved insensitively toward women.

Caproni rejected the defense’s characterization of the assaults. “Your conduct was monstrous,” she told the brothers, according to NBC News. She declined to impose life sentences, saying she did not believe the men were beyond redemption. The judge also raised concerns about whether they should serve their sentences together, saying they were bad influences on one another.