Real estate tycoons the Alexander brothers arrested on federal sex trafficking charges
amphotora/Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — The Alexander brothers — Alon, Oren and Tal — have been arrested on federal sex trafficking charges, according to New York prosecutors.
For well over a decade, the prominent real estate brothers conspired to “repeatedly and violently drug, sexually assault and rape dozens of women,” according to an indictment unsealed Wednesday in New York after the brothers were arrested in Miami on Wednesday.
“At times, the Alexander brothers arranged for these sexual assaults well in advance, using the promise of luxury experiences, travel and accommodations to lure and entice women to locations where they were then forcibly raped or sexually assaulted, sometimes by multiple men, including one or more of the Alexander brothers,” the indictment said.
The allegedly “long-running sex trafficking scheme” began in 2010 and relied on “deception, fraud and coercion,” with the brothers flaunting their wealth to induce women to attend parties, events and trips where they were then attacked, prosecutors said.
Trips were organized in advance and the brothers allegedly shared photographs of women to make sure they were “sufficiently attractive.” The brothers used dating apps or social media to contact them or used party planners as intermediaries, according to the indictment.
The Alexanders also procured drugs, including GHB and cocaine, and would sometimes spike women’s drinks before assaulting them, the indictment said.
The brothers allegedly held down women and “ignored screams and explicit requests to stop.”
The indictment includes two victims, identified only as Victim 1 and Victim 2, and charges the brothers with conspiracy and forcible sex trafficking.
The brothers began their careers at Douglas Elliman, focusing on the real estate market in New York and Miami. They left and launched their own firm, Official, in 2022.
They had previously been accused in civil lawsuits of various acts of sexual misconduct.
(WELCHES, Ore.) — A search continued Tuesday for a missing hiker and her two large Malinois-mix dogs believed to be in the Green Canyon Way Trail area of Welches in Oregon, according to officials.
Susan Lane-Fournier, 61, was reported missing after failing to show up at work, according to the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office.
Searchers looked for Lane-Fournier on Monday in the Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness, covering over 100 miles of trail.
Deputies did not find Lane-Fournier at her residence after she was reported missing by her employer. A community member saw her white 1992 Ford F-250 parked along a road near the trail a day later.
Lane-Fournier, who also goes by the name “Phoenix,” is 5-foot-2-inch, weighs 150 pounds, and has reddish-brown hair.
“Although she is familiar with the area, it is not known if Ms. Lane-Fournier was prepared to stay out overnight. Temperatures in the area have dropped into the 30s with light rain,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Anyone who has seen Lane-Fournier or her dogs is asked to contact the sheriff’s office.
School districts prep students and families for possible mass deportations. ABC News
(SOUTH TEXAS, Texas) — President Donald Trump has threatened mass deportations of immigrants, potentially expanding the “expedited removal” program to conduct raids in neighborhoods and workplaces. This program would allow for the quick deportation of individuals who entered the U.S. without proper documentation and have been here for less than two years.
Trump has pledged to tighten immigration laws and roll back Biden-era policies that he believes have encouraged a rise in undocumented immigration.
On Monday, Trump signed executive orders enhancing operations of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, in sensitive areas, expanding expedited deportations for undocumented immigrants, and aiming to end birthright citizenship.
Educators and organizers are grappling with what this means for their communities, and schools are determining the best way to support students and families.
ABC News visited a school in South Texas to meet with students and faculty preparing for the potential impacts of President Trump’s immigration policies.
While in South Texas, a student named Maria, a high school junior, shared with ABC News that she came to America from Mexico on a special visa last fall. Born and raised in Mexico, the 15-year-old lives with her grandmother, who is her legal guardian, in South Texas.
“It’s an honor for me to study here,” Maria said. “And my parents, more than anything, they did it in search of something better for me and my future…to have more opportunities and be able to speak a second language.”
When Maria first arrived, she knew very little English and was placed in a special set of classes to help integrate her into the Texas public school system.
She expressed that she misses her family in Mexico but wants to become a Spanish teacher. She must stay in America to do that, but with Trump’s plan, her goals may be cut short.
“We found out through TikTok, later on Instagram or things like that,” Maria said. “And just like in anything else, there are people who find ways to make the news entertaining…even if it’s something bad. We try to focus on the positive to drown out the negative.”
In 1982, the Supreme Court ruled that all children, regardless of immigration status, can access public education.
While students like Maria are here legally on unique accommodation, there is growing concern about the potential impact an immigration crackdown could have on educational institutions.
The boundary lines for Maria’s school district run along the U.S.-Mexico border. The debate over immigration is finding its way into the classroom, as administrators in Southern Texas believe many of their students come from mixed-status families — some in the household have documentation allowing them to legally reside in the U.S., while others do not.
“When you come to our school district, you will be asked the name, of course, and some type of identification of your child and what can we do to service your child? Our business will never be to ask ‘what is your status in this nation?'” Norma Garcia, director of multi-language at Harlingen Consolidated Independent Schools, said.
District leaders are enhancing mental health support for students and organizing informative sessions for families. These sessions will connect families with experts, such as immigration attorneys and local border patrol agents, to help address their questions and concerns.
However, not all school districts share the same outrage. In Oklahoma, the Department of Education Superintendent Ryan Walters supports the incoming administration’s push for more decisive immigration action.
He claims that the influx of non-English-speaking students has strained the education system. As a solution, he proposes a rule requiring schools to collect information about a student’s or their parent’s immigration status and then share that information with federal authorities.
“Right now, our schools are being required by the federal government to educate all those children of illegal immigrants and never ask them if they’re here legally, never ask them where they’re from,” Walters told ABC. “Never collect any of this information. And so what happens is, is we have situations where one district, we had over 100 students a week that came in in the middle of the school year that we believe are illegal immigrants.”
Oklahoma is suing the former Biden administration and federal agencies for millions of dollars to recover those alleged costs. So far, no other states have joined this newly filed lawsuit.
“We’ve got to do what’s best for the American people, the American taxpayer, and shut down the border, send illegal immigrants back home,” Walters said. “And the best way for us to do that right now is to work with the Trump administration, get them the information they need.”
(NEW YORK) — A man accused of killing a woman by setting her on fire as she slept on a New York City subway train last month pleaded not guilty Tuesday to first-degree murder and other charges.
The suspect, Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, who police said is an undocumented migrant from Guatemala, appeared in Brooklyn Criminal Court and pleaded not guilty to one count of first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder and first-degree arson stemming from the horrific killing of Debrina Kawam, who police said was homeless and sleeping on a subway car when she was attacked.
Kawam, 57, was originally from Toms River, New Jersey, the New York Police Department said.
Kawam was asleep on a stationary F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn at about 7:25 a.m. on Dec. 22 when she was set ablaze allegedly by the 33-year-old Zapeta-Calil, who stuck around to watch her burn, even fanning the flames, according to Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.
“It is difficult to fathom what could lead someone to commit the atrocious and horrific murder with which this defendant is charged,” Gonzalez said in a statement following Zapeta-Calil’s arrangement. “My office swiftly obtained an indictment, and we are determined to exact the most severe punishment for this heinous and inhumane act. Ms. Kawam and her loved ones deserve a measure of justice and New Yorkers deserve to feel safe in the subways.”
If convicted of the charges, Kawam faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Video surveillance captured Zapeta-Calil, who rode in the same subway car as the victim from Queens, using what appeared to be a lighter to set fire to fabric that covered the sleeping woman.
The evidence collected by investigators showed Zapeta-Calil at first allegedly watched the woman burn from inside the subway car as the fire grew, Gonzalez said. The suspect then allegedly appeared to use a shirt to fan the flames, which completely engulfed the victim, the district attorney said.
Gonzalez alleged Zapeta-Calil then walked out of the subway car, sat on a bench on the station platform and watched as the woman burned.
Kawam was declared dead at the scene and the medical examiner determined the cause of death to be a combination of heat burns and smoke inhalation, Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez said Kawam was burned beyond recognition and it took the medical examiner nine days to identify her.
Using the video footage, police officers quickly identified the suspect and distributed his image to local media outlets, prompting a tip that he was aboard an F train near the Herald Square-34th Steet Station in Manhattan, Gonzalez said. Officers rushed to the station and took Zapeta-Calil into custody around 4 p.m. on the same day as the subway attack.
The victim’s brother appeared in court Tuesday and met with local clergy to discuss plans for an upcoming memorial service.
Kawam, known to her classmates as “Debbie,” grew up in Little Falls, New Jersey. She went to Montclair State University to study business and marketing and worked for a time at Merck. She filed for bankruptcy in 2008.
Family and friends are expected to gather to remember Kawam on Jan. 12 for a memorial service at First Baptist Church in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, according to clergy members who attended Zspres-Calil’s arraignment.
