Kate Whiteman, the first woman to publicly accuse Oren and Alon Alexander of sexual assault, was found dead in Australia in late 2025.
At a Glance
- Kate Whiteman accused Oren and Alon Alexander of sexually assaulting her in 2012
- She filed her lawsuit against the brothers in 2024
- Authorities do not consider her death suspicious
- The Alexander brothers face sex trafficking charges with a trial set for January in Manhattan
- Why it matters: Whiteman’s death removes a key accuser as the high-profile case heads to court
Whiteman’s death was confirmed by the New York Times and BBC, citing the New South Wales coroner. The timing is significant as Oren, Alon, and their brother Tal Alexander are scheduled to stand trial later this month on multiple sex trafficking charges in the Southern District of New York.
The Accusation
Whiteman filed her lawsuit in 2024, becoming the first woman to publicly accuse the Alexander brothers of sexual assault. She alleged that Oren and Alon sexually assaulted her in the Hamptons in 2012, twelve years before she brought legal action against them.
Her lawsuit opened the floodgates. Following Whiteman’s complaint, more than a dozen other women filed lawsuits against the brothers, creating a pattern of allegations that prosecutors would later cite in their federal case.
Federal Charges
The Southern District of New York indicted all three Alexander brothers on several counts of sex trafficking. According to the federal indictment, prosecutors allege the brothers “used their wealth and prominent positions in real estate to create and facilitate opportunities to sexually assault women.”
The brothers’ business empire spans multiple states:
- Alon and Tal operate as Florida real estate moguls
- Their businesses encompass both Florida and New York State
- Oren works as an executive at the family’s private security firm
Authorities arrested the brothers in December 2024. Since their arrest, Oren, Alon, and Tal have been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where they currently share the facility with high-profile detainees including Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Luigi Mangione.
Response to Whiteman’s Death
A spokesperson for the Alexander brothers told the BBC they were unaware of Whiteman’s death. The New South Wales coroner’s office has ruled her death as not suspicious, though further details about the circumstances remain undisclosed.
The brothers have denied all allegations, both in the federal indictment and in the civil lawsuits filed against them. Their trial in Manhattan federal court is expected to proceed despite Whiteman’s death, though prosecutors will now need to build their case without testimony from their first accuser.
Key Takeaways
Whiteman’s role as the first public accuser made her a pivotal figure in the case against the Alexander brothers. Her 2024 lawsuit not only detailed her own alleged assault but also encouraged other women to come forward with similar accusations.
The trial will proceed with testimony from other accusers and evidence gathered by federal investigators. Prosecutors have indicated they have sufficient evidence to move forward despite losing a key witness who helped launch both the civil and criminal cases against the brothers.
Whiteman’s death in Australia late last year marks a tragic end to her story, but the legal proceedings she helped initiate continue toward their January trial date in Manhattan.
