By Yael Tangir, Staff Writer
Trigger Warning: The following article mentions sexual assault.
Once featured in Forbes as “Realtors of the Year,” brothers Oren and Tal Alexander were the luminaries of the luxury real estate market, selling lavish mansions to the rich and famous. After years of working as realtors at the renowned real estate firm Douglas Elliman, the brothers decided to break away and establish their own real estate firm, which they named Official. These brothers went on to be very successful in their own business. However, their success would soon come to an end.
Real estate brokers Tal and Oren Alexander have mediated the sale of some of the most expensive properties in the nation. In 2019, they arranged the record-breaking sale of a roughly $240 million New York apartment to hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin, CEO of Citadel LLC. In addition to this sale, the brothers also sold an estate in Miami for $50 million in 2019, which at the time was the most expensive single-family home ever sold in the Miami area. However, this glittering facade was dramatically blown out by a series of grave accusations from a decade ago. Their journey has been akin to a roller coaster, with their swift and dazzling rise to success now followed by an abrupt and dramatic descent.
It all started when two women brought complaints against the brothers under the Adult Survivors Act of New York, allowing people to file lawsuits no matter how long the incident happened. These papers filed against the Alexander brothers go into great detail about serious charges of sexual assault against them, including drugging and alternating attacks on the victims.
The women involved in the incidents reported that the brothers targeted them in two separate events. In 2010, one claimed the brothers sedated her at a nightclub in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District and then sexually assaulted her in an apartment. In a similar pattern, in 2012, another woman alleged that the brothers abused her at Sir Ivan’s Castle in the Hamptons, which is known for its extravagant parties. She recounted being coerced into leaving a nightclub with the brothers before being assaulted at the castle.
After these allegations were shared with the media, the brothers rapidly responded through their legal representative Jim Ferraro of the Ferraro Law Firm, refuting the accusations, calling the cases a “total shakedown.”
Later that week, Oren Alexander posted an announcement on his Instagram, with then a following of over 300,000 accounts, stating that he had decided to “take a pause from [his] work at Official.” He expanded, stating that he was doing so “out of respect for [the company’s] customers and trusted colleagues.” However, he called the claims against him “baseless” and added, “I am confident that through review of the extensive evidence… the truth will be brought to light.” A couple of hours after the statement was posted, his account was deleted from social media.
The cases have affected the brothers’ professional careers and garnered much attention despite their vehement denial of the accusations. Tal and Oren resigned from their positions at their brokerage in June 2024, leaving the future of their business unclear.
Earlier this month, The Real Deal reported that the FBI is investigating the brothers over these allegations. According to the report, women who claim to have witnessed or experienced sexual assault from the brothers have visited with FBI task force investigators in recent week with details of the incidents. The task force is inquiring about claims of sexual assault that date back to the brothers’ high school years, with complaints spanning two decades.
According to Evan Torgan, a lawyer from Torgan Cooper + Aaron, who represented the two women in the original lawsuit against the Alexander brothers back in March, more than two dozen women contacted him with more allegations. Torgan claimed that in the past, when these alleged incidents occurred, some of these women did not go to the police with their allegations because they had “willingly gone on dates and to parties with the brothers.”
These serious charges have had immediate and serious repercussions. To preserve their company’s reputation and in an attempt to maintain some stability, the brothers decided to resign from their positions. Nonetheless, these allegations have significantly and potentially permanently harmed the company’s reputation.
The firm’s operations have suffered as a result of the departure of necessary investors and partners. Prominent partners have disassociated themselves from the brothers, refusing to be connected with the unfavorable press surrounding the accusations. Official is now in a risky financial situation and is having difficulty keeping the faith of its surviving partners. Increasing legal costs and possible settlements have burdened the company’s finances and depleted its resources, making the situation even worse.
The brothers have become much more marginalized in the business and real estate industry. Prominent individuals and business moguls who had previously bragged about their connections with the Alexanders have now rapidly cut relations with them. Additionally, customers are reevaluating their business relationships with companies that may have previously worked with the Alexanders out of fear of being associated with any trouble.
The survival of Official is still uncertain due to ongoing legal and media conflicts. Although the brothers’ departure from the company was a necessary step, it left a void that has proven to be challenging to fill. Any attempts to stabilize the company are more difficult because of the continuing investigations and possible legal consequences. These accusations go beyond short-term financial setbacks. The threat of scandal has overshadowed the Alexanders’ spectacular rise. The future of their legacy is now at risk as the brothers once-named “Realtors of the Year” struggle to save their reputations.