Jailed Fraudster In Brooklyn Jail Charged Over Illegal Phone

An inmate at the Brooklyn jail where the Alexander brothers are detained has been accused of allowing other prisoners, including Oren Alexander, to use his contraband cellphone.

Federal prosecutors charged David Motovich, a convicted fraudster and former owner of a lumberyard in Midwood, with possessing an illegal phone in a complaint unveiled earlier this week. The document includes a selfie of Motovich with another man, who the New York Times identified as Oren, though his face is redacted.

The Times report also revealed that all three brothers were found to have been using contraband cellphones, though none of them has been charged with any associated crimes.

The complaint against Motovich offers one of few glimpses into the lives of Oren and Tal Alexander following their dramatic fall from the top of residential real estate in New York City and Miami since their arrest in 2024. The former powerhouse brokers and their brother, security executive Alon Alexander, were found guilty of sex trafficking and related crimes in March.

The brothers’ tenure behind bars began in December 2024, when they were arrested in Miami and later transferred to the Metropolitan Detention Center to await their federal trial.

Oren, Tal and Alon have at least three more months at the Sunset Park detention center before their sentencing hearing in October. They are each facing 15 years to life in prison based on the charges on which they were convicted.

Shortly after their arrival, Tal’s estranged wife, Arielle, filed for divorce in New York, which Tal followed with his own complaint in Florida. Documents filed in the Florida divorce case, which the judge referred to mediation in May, revealed communications between the couple, including messages sent by Tal while at the detention center.

In those messages, Tal warned Arielle to “think twice” before moving forward with the divorce, while maintaining his innocence of the charges. He also claimed his accusers were motivated by money and that he was “the victim.”

In court filings, Arielle also alleged Tal “orchestrated the early lease termination” on the apartment they shared together at 432 Park Avenue, forcing her to vacate the home. She claims he “conducted the apartment circus from his jail cell, communicating constantly with [his former agent] and other real estate colleagues, and potential clients.”

Not so fast…

Earlier this week, TRD reported that a former agent with Bespoke Real Estate sued the Hamptons-based brokerage, its co-founder Cody Vichinsky and another related firm, Parallel, over alleged pregnancy discrimination.

In the lawsuit, Ashley McDermott, now on Compass’ Terry Cohen Team, accused the firm of demoting her weeks after she told leaders she was pregnant last April. She claims Vichinsky removed her from a team tasked with handling high-profile deals and replaced her with a male employee.

Vichinsky said he “categorically” denies the allegations.

McDermott’s complaint isn’t the first to accuse Bespoke of discrimination. Two former agents with the firm — Harlan Goldberg, who is Jewish, and Jarret Willis, who is Black — alleged company leaders exhibited racist behavior toward Willis and made anti-semitic comments to Goldberg in a lawsuit filed in 2023. The duo also claim Bespoke withheld hundreds of thousands of dollars in commissions.

The firm’s attorneys have previously denied the allegations, referring to them in court filings as “ficticious” claims filed “in order to recover unearned commissions and payments.”

Goldberg and Willis’ lawsuit remains pending in federal court. The case was stayed late last year to allow the two plaintiffs and defendants to resolve the matter through mediation, though no settlement has yet been reached. A federal judge ordered depositions to be completed by September with discovery to close the following month.

NYC Deal of the Week

The priciest deal to land in city records this week was for a West Village townhouse, which sold in an off-market deal for $46 million. An anonymous trust purchased the three-story home at 245 West 4th Street from the billionaire George Soros’ daughter, Andrea Soros Colombel, and her husband, Eric Colombel, founder of the Tsadra Foundation.