Once the titans of luxury real estate, brothers Tal and Oren Alexander, along with a third sibling, now face a Manhattan jury this week to answer charges that they orchestrated a yearslong sex trafficking ring.

Tal, Oren and Oren's twin, Alon Alexander, who was an executive at his family's private security firm, have vehemently denied the sex crime charges against them, as well as other allegations.

Prosecutors allege the brothers orchestrated a yearslong pattern of sexual abuse involving numerous women across multiple states. The defense has argued that the encounters were consensual and that the government has overreached.

Kate Whiteman, 45, was found dead in Australia late last year, according to added a new charge tied to an alleged 2012 incident, expanding the scope of the case. Defense lawyers have criticized the move as prejudicial.

"The timing certainly is suspect, and I do think they are putting themselves in the best possible position to get a guilty verdict — which is what you would expect from federal prosecutors," Spodek said. 

"They are analyzing the case in a fluid process; they may have explored multiple charges upfront and decided to only indict on a few for now, then supersede with new charges later. There are strategic reasons why they do that, but it also happens when a case develops to a point where they are confident they can get a conviction."

Spodek said one of the defense’s central challenges will be persuading jurors to separate emotion from evidence.

"Multiple individuals claiming they were victimized by the brothers does not necessarily mean stronger proof," he said. "Each complainant and each victim needs to be judged based on the evidence in that particular case."

In the Sorokin case, Spodek framed his client’s conduct within the broader context of New York’s "fake it till you make it" hustle culture.

"The defense will need to ensure that the case is decided by evidence, documents, and timelines — not by headlines, gossip, or the defendants' status as affluent real estate figures," Spodek said. "If I were on the defense team, I’d want to ensure upfront that jurors understand that in high-profile cases, multiple people saying the same thing is just a number. We’ve seen this with Harvey Weinstein and Sean 'Puffy' Combs."

Defense lawyers have signaled they may rely on digital evidence, including text messages and photographs, that they say show consensual relationships between the brothers and some of the accusers.

Defense attorney Marc Agnifilo said the jury will hear evidence at trial of group sex, threesomes and promiscuity.

"The case is about sex and sexuality," he said.

In court papers, defense lawyers wrote that they believe "that many witnesses are going to testify untruthfully on direct examination — whether it be because of their own current situation, their motive to lie for monetary gain, or their situation at the time."

These witnesses "do not want to admit to the world that they consensually engaged in sexual activity with any of the Alexander brothers," the lawyers said.

The trial is expected to last several weeks, with opening statements scheduled after a jury is seated. If convicted, the brothers could face decades in prison.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.