Jailed Lumberyard Owner Charged Over Contraband Phone

A convicted fraudster is facing an additional federal charge after he allegedly allowed Oren Alexander and other inmates at a Brooklyn jail to use his illegal cellphone.

Prosecutors on Wednesday unsealed the complaint against former lumberyard owner David Motovich, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison for operating a check-cashing scheme. Motovich, who was convicted in 2024, spent $55 million in illegally obtained funds on luxury cars, jewelry and renovations on an Upper East Side penthouse.

Motovich is accused of possessing a contraband phone, which other detainees also used, in some cases to make outside calls, according to the complaint.

One of those prisoners was Oren, a source familiar with the case told the New York Times. The disgraced top broker was convicted in March alongside his brothers, Tal and Alon Alexander, on multiple charges related to sex trafficking.

The complaint includes a photo Motovich appears to have taken of himself with another inmate, whose face is blurred. The Times, which first reported news of the charge, identified the other man as Oren.

Oren and his brothers have been in the Metropolitan Detention Center since January 2025, following their December 2024 arrests in Miami. At one point during their tenure at the facility, officials found that all three Alexanders were making calls on illegal cell phones, however, none of the brothers have been charged with possessing contraband.

Henry Mazurek, a lawyer representing Motovich, declined to comment to the Times. A spokesperson for the Alexanders, Juda Engelmayer, also declined to comment.

Earlier this year, a jury found all three brothers guilty of 10 charges, including multiple counts of sex trafficking and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. Oren was also convicted of sexual exploitation of a minor related to a video of him raping an intoxicated 17-year-old girl.

The Alexanders are still awaiting their sentencing, which is scheduled for October. Their attorneys have previously said that they planned to appeal their conviction.

— Sheridan Wall