Tal and Alon Alexander sat back in their seats with no real expression. Their brother turned to whisper something to his lawyer as the judge spoke.

Many of the women in the packed courtroom gallery appeared unhappy when the sentences were rendered. Over the previous hours, some of them choked up as they described how the assaults stole their innocence and left them haunted by nightmares and fearing men.

 It took one night, only a few hours, one invitation to completely wreck the girl I once was,  one woman, using a pseudonym to protect her identity, said as she stood at a lectern just feet from the brothers in a Manhattan courtroom.

The other side:

The brothers denied drugging or raping anyone before their sentencing. Oren Alexander acknowledged regrettable behavior toward women in the past but insisted they had never broken the law.

 My brothers and I have never drugged or raped anyone. We never trafficked anyone for sex and we never conspired to hurt anyone,  he said.

Tal Alexander also denied that he drugged or raped anyone. He asked the judge to assign him to same prison as his brothers, saying their parents, both age 70, hope to visit them every weekend, which might be difficult if they're at different lockups.

Alon Alexander said he, too, has evolved from his regrettable past, noting that not a single woman has accused him of wrongdoing in the eight years he's been committed to his wife:  Over time, that became my life: work, home, children, parents, community. 

Brothers convicted in March

The backstory:

The brothers were convicted in March following a five-week federal trial in Manhattan. A jury found them guilty of multiple federal sex offenses, including conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, after hearing testimony from 11 women who said they were sexually assaulted by one or more of the brothers.

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The convictions included sex trafficking of a minor for Alon and Tal Alexander. Alon and Oren Alexander were also convicted of aggravated sexual abuse involving force or intoxicants and sexually abusing a physically incapacitated person. Oren was additionally convicted of sexually exploiting a minor.

The three were arrested in 2024 and held without bail.