Connect with us

Northeast

Key accuser in Alexander brothers rape case dies just one week before federal trial begins: report

Published

on

Key accuser in Alexander brothers rape case dies just one week before federal trial begins: report

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

The woman who first accused Oren and Alon Alexander of rape, sparking a wave of similar allegations, has died, according to the New York Times.

Kate Whiteman, 45, was found dead in Australia late last year. The coroner in New South Wales told the Times that Whiteman’s cause of death was under investigation. Fox News Digital has reached out to the New South Wales coroner for additional details.

The news comes just before the brothers’ criminal trial is set to begin, with jury selection starting Jan. 20.

Oren Alexander and his older brother Tal Alexander are prominent luxury real estate brokers who co-founded the firm Official after rising through the ranks at Douglas Elliman. Alon Alexander worked in the family’s private security business.

Advertisement

Oren Alexander, center, and his twin brother, Alon, center-right, speak to their attorney, Joel Denaro, during their bond hearing after being charged with multiple state and federal crimes, including sex trafficking and rape, at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building on Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, in Miami. (Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald via AP, Pool)

ALEXANDER BROTHERS ACCUSED OF CRUISE SHIP SEX ABUSE AHEAD OF REAL ESTATE MOGULS’ TRAFFICKING TRIAL

Prosecutors have accused the three brothers of conspiring for more than a decade to drug and sexually assault women in locations including Miami, New York and the Hamptons, allegations the brothers have repeatedly denied. Oren and Alon also face state felony charges of sexual battery in Florida.

In a 2024 civil suit, Whiteman accused Oren and Alon Alexander of raping her in 2012 after meeting them during a night out in New York.

She alleged that Oren, then a prominent Douglas Elliman real estate broker, and his brother Alon forced her into an SUV and drove her to a Hamptons estate owned by Sir Ivan Wilzig, where the alleged assault allegedly occurred.

Advertisement

On the same day, another accuser, Rebecca Mandel, filed a separate suit alleging that the brothers drove her to their apartment after meeting at a Manhattan club in 2010, where they took turns holding her down and raping her.

Oren Alexander attends his bond hearing after being charged with multiple state and federal crimes, including sex trafficking and rape, at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building on Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, in Miami.  (Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald via AP, Pool)

Following Whiteman and Mandel’s accusations, a host of women came forward alleging similar scenarios.

If convicted, the Alexander brothers face decades in federal prison. The brothers are being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, alongside disgraced rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs and alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO assassin Luigi Mangione.

LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? FIND MORE ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB

Advertisement

A display showing images of Alon, Oren and Tal Alexander prior to a news conference in New York, on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. Luxury real estate brokers Oren and Tal Alexander and their brother Alon were arrested and charged with sex-trafficking by federal prosecutors in New York. (Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The sordid accusations allege that the siblings used their wealth and positions to lure women to nightclubs and parties and other events before drugging them and sexually assaulting them.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Oren and Tal Alexander co-founded the real estate firm Official, which offers luxury listings in places like New York City, the Hamptons, Miami and Los Angeles, in 2022 after rising through the ranks at Douglas Elliman, one of the largest real estate brokerages in the country, according to prosecutors.

Oren and Alon Alexander attend Jeff Gordon’s Last Lap on Nov. 22, 2015, at The Villa, Casa Casuarina in Miami Beach, Florida.  (Aaron Davidson/Getty Images for J Group)

Advertisement

SIGN UP TO GET TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER

Their past clients include Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, Liam Gallagher and Lindsay Lohan, according to CBS News. Fox News Digital reached out to the Alexanders’ attorneys for comment. 

Read the full article from Here

Vermont

Vt. communities work to clean up after EF-1 tornadoes strike

Published

on

Vt. communities work to clean up after EF-1 tornadoes strike


QUECHEE, Vt. (WCAX) – Crews worked across the White River Valley on Friday to restore power and clean up debris after two EF-1 tornadoes touched down in Vermont, including one that swept through Quechee.

Joe Haynes stared over his yard in Woodstock, with chunks of his roof scattered across it, wondering about the next steps.

Reporter Connor Ullathorne: How long will this all take to clean up?

Joe Haynes: Oh, I have no idea.

Advertisement

He said he’s lucky he and his nearby neighbors are safe and are not blocked in.

“Some of the trees were down. They’ll be down for awhile but they can make their way out,” Haynes said.

Crews in Woodstock continued clearing trees and downed power lines along Route 4. That’s where Tiffany Miller was working inside the Mountain Creamery when the tornado passed right over the store. Nobody was injured, but their new walk-in storage ended up in the trees.

“It’s definitely a big setback for us. We were getting ready to have it wired up tomorrow. So I mean we definitely have a lot of elbow grease and hours to put in to get back up to where we were,” Miller said.

She said she was happy to see how many customers have checked in on them.

Advertisement

“It’s nice to see that no matter what, in some bad case– storms or indifferent– that we can still come together and be there for each other,” Miller said.

Farther east in Quechee, workers hacked away at trees and swept away debris along the golf course and roads.

“It’s crazy they want to see. Everybody cares about their community and all their assets and amenities, so it’s nice to see everybody come together,” Quechee Club General Manager Brian Kelley said.

Kelley said they were out early Friday, and many residents were shocked at the damage. He’s still hopeful the area can come together and support each other.

“We normally do about 200 rounds a day going into one of our peak weekends. We’ve got the balloon festival this weekend, so we have that population in town, so a little bit of disappointment but people have been great and supportive, and we’ll be back at it tomorrow,” Kelley said.

Advertisement

Kelley said it should be a few days until they are back to full force in Quechee.

Many others across the region told us they’re now focused on getting back to normal.

Click here for the latest forecast from the WCAX First Alert Weather Team.

Copyright 2026 WCAX. All rights reserved.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

New York

Video: Fans Show Up to the Parade in Their Best Knicks-Themed Attire

Published

on

Video: Fans Show Up to the Parade in Their Best Knicks-Themed Attire

new video loaded: Fans Show Up to the Parade in Their Best Knicks-Themed Attire

transcript

transcript

Fans Show Up to the Parade in Their Best Knicks-Themed Attire

New York Knicks fans showed up in droves to a ticker-tape parade in Manhattan in their best orange and blue outfits to honor the N.B.A champions.

“Patrick Ewing. He didn’t get a ring. But I wear your sneakers, bro. When I was in high school, back in the ’90s, Patrick Ewing, John Starks, they were the team that I rooted for in the ’90s. They didn’t make it. So as a tribute to him because this is where I started at being a fan, Patrick Ewing. Knicks hat in denim — I’m a denim fanatic. So I love denim — Knicks hat. And yeah, that’s it.” “This is my style. I usually dress like this every day. But I did a special Knicks edition. It’s all really fun. I start with my makeup. I did really cute flames on my eyes because the Knicks are fire. I don’t really know what I’m going to do before I put it on. I just figure it out along the way. Like, this is a piece of fabric and I just layer in stuff.” “This is from my online boutique and the hat I just bought on the way to the parade because I wanted to match the jumpsuit, and that’s how I came up with the outfit.” “She was ready to go, man.” “Can you show your fingernail?” “She’s been sleeping in her Jalen Brunson jersey for the last 10 weeks. We’ve been watching all the games. You want to tell them who’s your favorite player?” “Jalen Brunson.” “I’m pretty sure this jersey was actually made for a human baby. But they’re selling them around the block. And we threw it on Chester and everyone started clapping. So — he wears it well.” “Blue and orange.” “So I did blue and orange.” “It had to be orange and blue. “Orange and blue. Orange and blue.”

Advertisement
New York Knicks fans showed up in droves to a ticker-tape parade in Manhattan in their best orange and blue outfits to honor the N.B.A champions.

By Meg Felling, Jeremy Raff, Ang Li and David Cheung

June 18, 2026

Continue Reading

Boston, MA

MBTA, state transportation chief apologizes for ‘insensitive’ employee hair-pulling incident

Published

on

MBTA, state transportation chief apologizes for ‘insensitive’ employee hair-pulling incident


Gov. Maura Healey’s Transportation Secretary and MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng said he has apologized “fully” to the subordinate T employee he’s been accused of pulling the hair of at a work dinner two years ago.

Eng has come under fire for the late 2024 incident this week and admits that it was a “mistake” that has forced him to reflect upon his actions.

“My goal is always to lead with respect and inclusivity,” Eng said in a statement. “I know that this was a mistake, and I own that. I have apologized to this employee fully and have reflected on my actions.

“I am committed to learning from this experience and upholding the highest standards of professionalism in all my interactions as secretary and general manager,” Eng added.

Advertisement

The MBTA said the incident, first reported by Contrarian Boston, occurred in November 2024 at a restaurant where T employees and their spouses were having a team dinner.

WCVB-TV reported that the MBTA employee has told people the interaction with Eng was not welcome and highly inappropriate.

The station described Eng as being accused of committing the hair-pulling faux pas while saying good-bye to the T employee after a work function at a brewery.

The MBTA confirmed that an “insensitive” interaction occurred between Eng and an employee, but downplayed the incident as occurring in the context of a larger conversation about hair from earlier in the evening that included multiple people.

Eng was poking fun at his own baldness when the alleged interaction occurred, according to the MBTA.

Advertisement

“The MBTA is committed to fostering a respectful, inclusive workplace environment,” MBTA spokesperson Joe Pesaturo said in a statement. “Leadership plays a critical role in that. Two years ago, General Manager Eng had an insensitive interaction with one of his direct reports. He subsequently apologized directly to this employee.

“Any claims of harassment, discrimination or retaliatory behavior are completely without merit,” Pesaturo added.

Sources have told WCVB-TV that the T employee is involved in negotiations to leave their job with the agency.

Eng is the state’s top transportation official. Healey appointed him as general manager of the MBTA in 2023, and interim transportation secretary in late 2025.

He was paid $509,114 last year, which includes a $30,000 retention payment he is eligible for each year he remains with the T, per his contract and state payroll records. He does not get additional pay for working dual roles in Massachusetts, but continues to take in a roughly $185,000 pension from New York.

Advertisement

Eng, former president of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Long Island Rail Road, came out of retirement to work for the MBTA, but remains retired with the New York State and Local Employees’ Retirement System, which is paying him a gross monthly pension of $15,357.39, according to the New York State Comptroller’s office.



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending