Sentencing hearing in New York
Oren Alexander, his twin brother Alon and their brother Tal were scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday in a New York City courtroom, according to NBC News. The hearing comes seven months after a jury found them guilty of drugging and raping women as part of a sex trafficking ring.
Oren and Alon Alexander were once prominent luxury real estate brokers. Federal prosecutors are seeking life sentences for all three men. Defense attorneys, who say their clients are innocent, have asked for 15-year terms for each.
Before the judge's decision, statements from 11 women were read at the hearing, NBC News reported. Some of the women used court-assigned pseudonyms. They asked the court to impose a sentence that reflected the profound effect the men had on their lives.
The verdict and the trial
The brothers were convicted in March on 10 counts, including conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and sex trafficking by force. The trial included testimony from 11 women who described being lured, drugged and sexually assaulted over a period of years. Six of those women were part of the indictment.
Prosecutors said at trial that the brothers raped women after promising them parties and trips. One woman testified that she lost control of her body after having a drink with Alon Alexander at a New York City club. She said she woke up naked on a bed with him, kept trying to get up, and that he kept pushing her back down. When she told him she did not want to have sex, she testified, he replied, "You already did."
In a sentencing memo, prosecutors in the Southern District of New York said more than 70 women had come forward with allegations of abuse. They accused the brothers of using their wealth, influence and connections to target victims.
What the women told the court
Maya Miller said the trauma of being raped by Tal Alexander had settled into her nervous system. "I carry a quiet funeral inside me," she said.
Olivia Lane told the judge she felt "profoundly incapacitated" after having a fraction of one drink while meeting Oren Alexander. She said she was raped at least a dozen times while terrified and in pain. Addressing the men, she said, "You are weak, you are inhumane," and added, "You never had power and look at you now."
Two women described the men's eyes during the assaults. Isa Brooks said, "Their eyes went black during the attack like I was being mauled by animals." Lane said she remembered "seeing a monster, black eyes."
Several women also pointed to the brothers' lack of remorse. Katie Moore noted that after five weeks of trial and a guilty verdict, the men "cannot even look us in the eye as we speak today." She said, "These men spent years treating women and girls like their humanity meant nothing."
Prosecution and defense positions
Prosecutor Elizabeth Espinosa told the court the brothers honed their methods together and attacked women in ways meant to humiliate and degrade them. "When they were done, they bragged to each other and their friends," she said, adding that the defendants "knew exactly what they were doing and they did it anyway and they did it over and over and over again."
In a sentencing submission, attorneys for the brothers acknowledged that the men sometimes behaved insensitively toward women. They categorically denied that any of them had raped or sexually assaulted anyone. At trial, the defense described the encounters as consensual and said the women were motivated in part by financial gain. In her closing argument, Tal Alexander's attorney, Deanna Paul, said, "All the stories were rehearsed," and, "They're looking for money."
The source material did not include the judge's sentencing decision.
