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Disgraced luxury broker Tal Alexander is reportedly issuing stern warnings to his estranged wife from Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center as their divorce proceedings continue.
Tal Alexander has been incarcerated for months alongside his brothers, twins Oren and Alon, and is awaiting a federal trial on sex-trafficking charges to take place in January 2026. But being imprisoned hasn’t stopped the former Official Partners broker from telling his wife, Arielle, to “think twice” about moving forward with divorce proceedings, according to a recent filing in the case obtained by .
Arielle filed for divorce in New York in January, just a few weeks after Tal, Oren and Alon were arrested. Tal told his estranged wife that “the divorce will be a ‘war’ unless she agreed to do things his way,” according to a conversation between the two cited in a motion to dismiss a Florida complaint Tal filed against Arielle days after she first filed for divorce.
Arielle and her attorneys are attempting to keep divorce proceedings in New York, where she says that she, Tal and their infant lived before he was arrested, contrary to Tal’s own claims.
“Tal’s efforts to control Arielle, even from behind bars, and to dictate where she and their son live based on falsities and misrepresentations, should not be permitted,” Arielle’s motion states.
According to private messages between the couple obtained by , Tal characterized himself as “the victim” in the cases against him, claiming those making allegations against him are “financially motivated,” and that he had a plan for a turnaround if things go his way.
“I’m the victim, remember that,” Tal wrote. “Once that all comes out and when the facts come out, this whole thing turns around.”
Attorneys for Arielle did not immediately respond to Inman’s request for comment.
Danielle R. Petitti, who is a lawyer representing Tal, told Inman that Tal was only interested in their son’s welfare.
“It is unfortunately that, in what should remain a private family matter involving a very young child entitled to privacy and protection, Ms. Alexander has chosen to file documents that we understand are not only irrelevant to the issues before the Court, but appear crafted to invite press attention. The filings are replete with falsehoods and mischaracterizations. Mr. Alexander’s sole concern remains the well-being of their son. He will not engage in public mudslinging, no matter how inflammatory or unfounded the allegations made against him may be.”
Shortly after Arielle filed for divorce, Tal also communicated to her that the lease on their apartment at 432 Park Ave would expire in March and told her to start looking for another apartment “ASAP.” However, Tal’s assertion contradicted an extension on the lease that was set to expire in March 2026, according to a copy included in the motion.
The filing said Tal “demanded multiple times” that Arielle let agent Marc Riedel, a former Official Partners agent and now-SERHANT. agent, show the apartment to potential new tenants. Riedel also allegedly told Arielle that she would put herself at risk of eviction and a possible lawsuit if she didn’t move out of the apartment.
“Tal orchestrated the early lease termination on the Marital Residence to put Arielle in the position of having — literally — nowhere to go,” the filing says. “Tal, ever the businessman, conducted the apartment circus from his jail cell, communicating constantly with Mr. Riedel and other real estate colleagues, and potential clients.”
Riedel asserted in a statement that he was simply informing Arielle of the risks according to New York law.
“I informed the tenant of what was in the works legally and the risks, as I did not want them to be hurt by this; from there, it was up to the tenant,” Riedel said in a statement. “Almost immediately, the tenant began allowing access.”
Arielle added in the filing that Tal’s threats seemed to be facilitated and abetted by his parents, luxury spec developer Shlomy Alexander and his wife, private security executive Orly Alexander.
After she filed for divorce, Arielle alleged that Tal’s parents “changed on a dime.”
“They began to terrorize, harass and scare me, acting as their son’s agent and proxy from federal prison,” the filing states.
On Dec. 22, Arielle allegedly told Orly that she intended to divorce Tal and on Dec. 25 told her expressly that she did not plan to harm Tal.
“I just want to divorce amicably and quietly,” Arielle said in the filing. “When I told her, she was not understanding, told me I should be standing by my husband, and questioned my morals, among other disrespectful statements she made to me.”
Then in mid-January, Orly and Shlomy allegedly went into the apartment at 432 Park without Arielle’s permission and stole $50,000 in cash, two Rolex watches, three Patek Philippe watches, wine, cigars and other high-end objects, according to a motion for a protective order that Arielle filed.
“None of this was done with my permission, and in fact this was all done over my telling [Orly and Shlomy] not to touch anything,” the filing states. If she did not file a protective order, Arielle said the couple would “continue to do what they want, when they want — even trespass upon my home, and steal whatever is left after their ransacking … not to mention their current efforts to render me and our child homeless, and terrorize, annoy, alarm and intimate [sic] us.”
Two days after the Alexanders entered the apartment, Orly allegedly hired a broker to put 432 Park up for rent and sell all of the furniture contained within at a profit. Arielle vacated the apartment before the lease was allegedly set to expire at the end of March. It went under contract on April 9 and was asking $55,000 per month, according to StreetEasy.
Tal first started renting at the supertall tower, where he represented units, in 2019, and has lived in New York for 12 years, according to the legal filing. Tal, on the other hand, claimed in his own legal filing in Florida that he was a Florida resident.
Earlier this month, Tal, Oren and Official Partners and Side, Inc. said they had reached a tentative settlement in the suit that Side filed against the brothers for allegedly failing to repay a loan. More details in the case are expected to be filed this week.
Update: This story was updated after publishing with a comment from a lawyer representing Tal Alexander.
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