The FBI is investigating allegations of rape and sexual assault by former top real estate brokers Oren and Tal Alexander, and their brother Alon Alexander.
An FBI child exploitation and sex trafficking task force is speaking with women who allege they were assaulted by the brothers or witnessed the attacks, the Wall Street Journal reported. The FBI declined to comment.
The allegations came to light last month when The Real Deal first reported on two lawsuits filed by Kate Whiteman and Rebecca Mandel alleging they were raped by Oren and Alon, who are twins. Alon is an executive with his family’s private security business, Kent Security. Tal was later accused of raping a woman in a third lawsuit that alleged that he and Alon assaulted the victim in a group attack orchestrated by Oren.
Oren and Alon’s attorney, criminal defense lawyer Isabelle Kirshner, said she and the brothers were unaware of the FBI investigation. Tal’s attorneys, led by Deanna Paul and Milton Williams of Walden Macht Haran & Williams, said the same.
The brothers have denied the allegations, which have rocked the luxury real estate industry. Oren and Tal were top real estate agents at Douglas Elliman before they left two years ago to launch their own venture, a Side-backed brokerage firm called Official.
Since TRD and other publications’ reporting on the allegations, both Oren and Tal announced they were stepping back from Official and their licenses have been removed from the brokerage in New York and Florida.
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Attorney Evan Torgan of Torgan Cooper + Aaron, who is representing Whiteman and previously represented Mandel, told TRD in June that he and his partners had heard from at least 28 women who claimed they had been assaulted by the brothers. The Journal also reported on alleged rape or sexual assault claims made by five women.
The FBI and attorneys for the government are looking into alleged assaults dating back to when the brothers were in high school two decades ago, in different parts of the U.S., the Journal reported.
— Katherine Kallergis