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Luxury brokers Oren and Tal Alexander are reportedly preparing to make a return to lead Official after the firm’s other cofounders relinquished ownership last week.
Oren and Tal had stepped away from their leadership roles at Official in June after they were accused in multiple lawsuits of sexually assaulting and raping women since at least 2010. After the lawsuits were made public, several more women came forward alleging that they had been victims of the brothers in the past, as well as of Oren and Tal’s other brother, Alon. Allegations have been reported in several news outlets, including The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
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The Alexander brothers are also now reportedly subjects of an FBI probe.
All three brothers have denied the allegations against them.
Official’s three other cofounders, Nicole Oge, Richard Jordan and Andrew Wachtfogel had seemingly been working to chart a path forward for the firm without the Alexanders even as developers distance themselves from Official and agents leave for other firms.
However, exit negotiations between the Alexanders and Official’s other cofounders were unsuccessful, and Oge, Jordan and Wachtfogel left the firm, effective last Thursday.
“We could not be more disappointed that we were not informed by Tal and Oren of these lawsuits and threats too our firm, and that our talented teams are now prevented from continuing Official on its path,” Oge said in a statement about the cofounders’ departures. “These allegations are disturbing to us all, but importantly they are clearly opening up dialogue around the brokerage industry’s culture toward women at large.”
James Cinque, an attorney representing Oren and Tal, told Business Insider at that time that the brothers “never said they were going to leave” and that “they want to continue with the business.”
“The Alexander brothers are excited about their new lineup and will be announcing details very soon,” Cinque added.
The Alexanders’ headshots had been removed from Official’s website, but, as of Thursday, those headshots and accompanying bios are back. Oge, Jordan and Wachtfogel have been removed from the site as cofounders.
The brothers are reportedly trying to retain Official’s remaining agents, sources told The Real Deal, and will rebrand the brokerage with Tal as the new face of the company.
At this point, several agents in California, New York and Miami have left the brokerage. Despite having made a push for expansion on the West Coast just about a year-and-a-half ago, the firm now retains only one agent in the region: in Aspen, where it launched operations only about six months ago.
The LA-based Tyrone McKillen, Brent Watson and Marco Salari have all now left Official, as well as at least seven agents in New York and Miami.
Since the sexual assault and rape allegations against the brothers came to light, they’ve stepped out of the spotlight, removing their accounts from Instagram. They have been seen in Bridgehampton, at a Barry’s Bootcamp class in Miami, and Oren, at a DJ booth in Ibiza, according to The Real Deal.
Tal also submitted a notice of commencement for a waterfront home he has planned in Miami Beach, the development of which is being led by The Alexander Group, helmed by the brothers’ father, Shlomi Alexander.
Official launched with backing from white-label firm Side in 2022 after spending about a decade at Douglas Elliman. However, Oren and Tal’s licenses are no longer active with Side, according to a firm spokesperson. It is unclear when or if the brothers will reactivate their licenses, and with what firm.
Cinque did not divulge many details on the rebrand or any additional plans of the Alexanders other than, “we are in a quiet period and will absolutely announce plans once final,” according to an email sent to The Real Deal.
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