Real Estate Brothers, Oren and Tal Alexander, Arrested and Charged With Sex Trafficking

Two star luxury real estate brokers and their brother are accused of using their wealth and status to lure, drug and then sexually assault and rape dozens of women, according to a federal indictment made public on Wednesday.

Oren Alexander, his older brother Tal Alexander and Alon Alexander, Oren’s twin, were arrested at homes in and near Miami Beach on Wednesday. The twins also face separate state felony charges of sexual battery connected to three separate assaults, according to arrest warrants released on Wednesday by prosecutors in Miami.

Until this summer, Oren, 37, and Tal Alexander, 38, were among the biggest names in real estate in New York and Miami, and their sales and moves were chronicled in the tabloids. They reached the top ranks at Douglas Elliman, one of the largest real estate brokerages in the country, and helped broker the sale of a nearly $240 million penthouse — at the time, the most expensive residential sale in U.S. history. They then co-founded their own real estate brokerage, Official. Alon Alexander, 37, did not work in real estate, but he socialized with them.

According to the federal indictment, the three brothers had conspired in the sex trafficking scheme for at least 14 years. Coordinating with other men, they arranged events and domestic and international trips as bait to recruit, entice and transport women, whom they later raped, the indictment says.

The federal charges were announced Wednesday in Manhattan by Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, and James E. Dennehy, the head of the F.B.I.’s New York office.

“This conduct, as alleged, was heinous,” Mr. Williams said at a news conference. “With our law enforcement partners, this office is determined to investigate and prosecute anyone who engages in sex trafficking, no matter how powerful or wealthy or famous you may be.”