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Lawyers for luxury goods broker Tal Alexander, who was arrested last week on federal charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, held a hearing on Monday in a second effort to obtain bail on charges of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. filed a motion to reopen his detention hearing. Brothers Oren and Aron.
On Friday, Tull’s lawyers offered bail at $115 million, secured by Tull’s family home, an office building and other real estate owned by his family. That bail request was rejected.
In their motion to reopen the hearing, Tal’s parents provided a bond of “any amount secured by the entirety of their assets.”
The motion also states that the government has never filed any Jenks Act materials or filed any pre-trial written statements or representations by government witnesses that would have been filed after the witness’ testimony. argued that the public hearing should be resumed. Friday’s hearing also addressed the Jencks Act, during which Judge Lysette Reed said Tull’s lawyers could file a motion to reopen the detention hearing if the government’s submission contained material information. He said that he could submit.
The motion also pushed back against the government’s argument that Mr. Tal is a flight risk, given his wealth and family ties to Israel.
FBI Special Agent Justin Atwood had argued that the United States could not extradite Tal if he fled to Israel. But in their motion, Tal’s lawyers said Atwood’s claims were “patently false,” citing Israel’s extradition treaty with the United States. The motion also argued that Special Agent Atwood had not presented any evidence that Tull attempted to flee after reporting on the FBI investigation. A matchup with the brothers came up over the summer.
“Mr. Alexander is a U.S. citizen, has substantial family ties to the United States, and has no history or intent to flee,” the motion states. “In fact, Special Agent Atwood testified that even after July reports about the ongoing criminal investigation, he did not reveal any information suggesting that Mr. Alexander was planning or preparing to leave the country.Furthermore, Mr. Alexander does not have citizenship of any other country, including Israel, and has not visited Israel in at least three years.
Tal and his parents are also offering to turn over financial documents and provide witnesses to prove that there are “sufficient financial disincentives” for Tal to leave the country, according to the motion.
Judge Reed said last week that the government had met its burden of proving Tull was a flight risk.
The government has until Wednesday to submit a response to Tull’s motion to reopen the hearing. Tal is currently being held at a federal detention center in Miami.
Oren and Aron are currently being held at a state facility in Miami after receiving a combined $5 million bail last week. A bond review scheduled for Monday in Miami-Dade was postponed to Thursday due to a procedural dispute. But Judge Roddy Jean said the brothers’ bail conditions, particularly house arrest and GPS monitoring, could be complicated by developments in their federal case.
In litigation with Side
Meanwhile, Syed also filed a preliminary injunction against Oren Alexander and Tal Alexander and the brokerage firm they back, Official Partners, as part of a civil suit filed against the company in October. The preliminary injunction seeks to prevent the brothers from extinguishing, concealing or moving collateral on a $4.6 million loan that Syed claims the brothers have defaulted on.
Now that Oren and Tal have faced criminal charges, Said argues that resolving the case is even more urgent. The white-label company alleged that the brothers may use the loan collateral to cover legal fees and other financial costs associated with bail on federal charges.
Said also said the brothers are currently in police custody in Miami and cannot be contacted. The company also claimed that the men posed flight risks if released due to their wealth and international connections.
Lawyers for Mr. Tull and Mr. Oren responded Monday to the preliminary injunction, saying the criminal charges against them are unrelated to the side suit.
Said filed for a restraining order against Official in November for allegedly moving collateral related to the loan. The Alexanders deny the charges.
Department of Justice contacts Douglas Elliman
Bloomberg reported Monday that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has also contacted Douglas Elliman to learn more about Oren and Tull’s 10-year careers at the brokerage firm. The brothers worked at Douglas Elliman from 2012 to 2022 before leaving the company to start Official, Inc. with co-founders Nicole Orge, Andrew Wachtvogel, and Richard Jordan.
Douglas Elliman is reportedly working with the Justice Department and preparing to turn over records to the agency. That includes records recently uncovered during an internal investigation at the company in October following an increase in lawsuits filed against the brothers. The past few months.
Shortly after an internal investigation, Douglas Elliman abruptly announced the retirement of former CEO Howard Lorber. Later, the Wall Street Journal reported that Mr. Lorber was under pressure to resign as the brokerage faced mounting financial losses in the wake of the scandal.
A spokesperson for Douglas Elliman told Bloomberg: “We are appalled by the Alexander brothers’ alleged shocking and disturbing actions and extend our deepest sympathies to their potential victims.” “I will make a statement,” he told Bloomberg.
Bloomberg reports that company officials have been told to preserve documents that may be linked to Oren and Tal Alexander.
Some of the sexual assault and rape incidents mentioned in the lawsuit against the brothers in recent months coincided with their time at Douglas Elliman. The federal indictment against the brothers further states that the brothers are believed to have committed sexual assault and rape 20 years ago when they were attending high school in Miami.
Two prominent Douglas Elliman agents, Tracy Tutor of Million Dollar Listing in Los Angeles and top producer Jessica Cohen, both said they were drugged by one or more of the brothers at a party. He told The New York Times that his memory of what happened after that was hazy.
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