Overview
- Jury selection begins in Manhattan federal court after prosecutors filed a third superseding indictment last week that added an allegation tied to 2012.
- Judge Valerie E. Caproni denied a Jan. 12 government request to call a late-added conspiracy witness and barred Alon Alexander from using his 2019 engagement and marriage to show withdrawal from any scheme.
- The defendants remain detained and have pleaded not guilty, asserting the encounters were consensual and accusing prosecutors of prejudicial last-minute changes, with more than 60 accusers identified across criminal and civil proceedings.
- One count alleges Oren Alexander sexually exploited a 17-year-old in 2009, a charge carrying a 15-year mandatory minimum that the defense is challenging on evidentiary grounds.
- Jury selection is expected to take about two days, with opening statements scheduled for Monday and the trial projected to run into early March.