Additional Coverage:
- All three Alexander brothers have now watched a rape accuser testify against them. Here is each woman’s account. (businessinsider.com)
Alexander Brothers Sex-Trafficking Trial Enters Second Week with Harrowing Accusations
MANHATTAN – The sex-trafficking trial of brothers Tal, Oren, and Alon Alexander has entered its second week in federal court in Manhattan, with each sibling now having faced a woman’s tearful testimony alleging rape. The three brothers, once prominent figures in luxury real estate and security, are being held without bail and face potential life sentences if convicted.
The accusations, spanning incidents from 2009 to 2016, describe women being drugged, overpowered, or filmed while incapacitated. None of the alleged assaults were reported to the police at the time, a detail the defense has frequently highlighted. The trial is expected to continue for another month, during which jurors will weigh the accusers’ accounts against the defense’s counterarguments.
Tal Alexander, 39, and Oren Alexander, 38, were known for brokering multi-million dollar properties in upscale markets like Miami and Manhattan. Oren’s twin, Alon Alexander, was an executive at their parents’ private security firm.
Here’s a breakdown of the women’s accounts and the defense strategies presented thus far:
First Accuser: “Katie Moore” Alleges Drugging and Rape by Alon After Party with Zac Efron
The first accuser, identified by the pseudonym Katie Moore, testified about an alleged incident in 2012. Then a 20-year-old marketing intern, Moore described a night out in Manhattan with a small group that included her friend Ainsley, Tal and Alon Alexander, and actor Zac Efron.
Moore recounted collapsing at a nightclub after a single sip of a drink handed to her by a friend of Tal’s. She testified to waking up naked in the brothers’ shared Manhattan apartment, where she found Alon also naked. She claims she told him, “I don’t want to have sex with you,” to which he allegedly responded, “But you already did,” laughing before raping her again.
Jurors were shown text messages where Moore informed her then-boyfriend of the alleged rape and heard from two friends who confirmed she confided in them. One friend, now a Massachusetts lawyer, testified that she advised against going to the police due to the Alexanders’ perceived “power.”
The defense, however, presented photos from that evening, including one taken by Efron and uploaded by Moore to Facebook the following morning, depicting her drinking and enjoying herself. They suggest Moore had consensual sex with Alon and fabricated the rape story to conceal it from her boyfriend.
Second Accuser: “Maya Miller” Details Shower Rape by Tal in the Hamptons
The second accuser, Maya Miller, testified under a pseudonym about an incident at a luxurious Hamptons rental in 2016. At 24, Miller was an aspiring model preparing for nursing school.
Miller described fending off Tal’s advances throughout the second evening at the house, also claiming to have secretly poured any drinks she was given down the sink. She recounted finding her friend, Alicia, unconscious after only half a glass of wine.
The next morning, Miller testified that Tal angrily confronted her, saying, “This is how you thank me for inviting you to a beautiful home?” He then allegedly chased her into a bedroom shower, grabbed her by the neck, and raped her, telling her afterward, “You wanted that.”
Two friends of Miller’s testified that she tearfully told them about the alleged attack. Jurors also saw an email from Tal to Alon referring to “these cheap hookers coming to the Hamptons.”
The defense questioned why Miller never discussed the incident with Alicia and presented photos of the two women enjoying high tea at the Plaza Hotel upon their return to Manhattan. They also showed friendly text messages exchanged between Miller and Tal before she flew home.
Third Accuser: “Amelia Rosen” Describes Videotaped Night with Oren While Barely Conscious
The third accuser, Amelia Rosen, testified under a pseudonym about an incident in 2009. Rosen, then a 17-year-old aspiring model from Ukraine, claims Oren, then 21, and an unnamed second man videotaped themselves having sex with her in a Manhattan bedroom.
Rosen testified that she has no memory of that evening and only learned of the video when contacted by federal prosecutors. Prosecutors described the video as showing Rosen naked, stumbling, and at times unable to move. Visibly emotional, Rosen testified, “I can hardly understand what I was saying,” after viewing a snippet of what prosecutor Andrew Jones called a “trophy tape,” which allegedly depicts Oren “stone-cold sober” setting up a tripod.
Both the prosecution and defense had warned the jury about the disturbing nature of the video, and some jurors appeared visibly upset during its courtroom viewing. Oren’s defense lawyer, Teny Geragos, acknowledged the video’s unnerving content but argued, “what this video shows is not sex trafficking.”
Fourth Accuser: “Bella Koval” Alleges Drugging and Inability to Scream
The fourth accuser, a Ukrainian native identified as Bella Koval, testified under a pseudonym about being drugged and raped in 2016 at the same Hamptons rental described by the second accuser.
Koval, then a 23-year-old model, recounted meeting the brothers with her friend Alison through the exclusive dating app Raya. She testified that a few sips from a “fruity,” ice-filled drink handed to her by Oren left her unsteady. Subsequently, a glass of water from Alon, who had helped her into a first-floor bedroom, rendered her conscious but unable to move.
Koval testified that during the subsequent rape that evening, Alon “had no expression other than this brooding anger.” She added, “I was unable to scream.”
Koval also testified that her friend Alison later told her she had been “gang raped” that night. Koval further stated that in the hours and days that followed, she confided in an ex-boyfriend and two female friends about being drugged and raped.
The defense challenged Koval’s claim of not being a heavy drinker and questioned her decision to stay at the Hamptons house a second day. Koval attributed her actions to the home’s isolation, the Labor Day “surge pricing” for car service, and her fear of the brothers’ power and influence.