Jets, superyachts, mansions and access to the rich and powerful helped the Alexander brothers lure women into their orbit while creating an "aura" that left victims afraid they would not be believed, an attorney representing three women pursuing civil claims against the convicted sex traffickers told Fox News Digital.

Alon, Oren and Tal Alexander were each sentenced in New York Tuesday to 30 years in federal prison for a yearslong sex-trafficking scheme that prosecutors said relied in part on the brothers' wealth, social status and luxury lifestyle to lure women before drugging and sexually assaulting them.

But the sentences that capped their federal prosecution do not mark the end of the legal reckoning facing the brothers.

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Michael J. Willemin, a partner at Wigdor LLP, told Fox News Digital that his firm represents three women pursuing civil claims against the brothers and said evidence revealed during the federal prosecution could bolster allegations made in those cases.

Willemin said the brothers surrounded themselves with wealthy and powerful people while using their lavish lifestyle to attract women and build an image that made victims fearful of coming forward.

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"They used things like luxury trips and parties and introductions to celebrities and powerful individuals and private jets and super yachts, mansions and estates," Willemin said.

Those trappings, he said, served as "a compliment in some ways to the drugs and the alcohol that were used to impair the memory of their victims and ultimately allowed them to get away with this sort of behavior for as long as they did."

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Prosecutors said the brothers used their wealth and prominence to create opportunities to sexually assault women between at least 2008 and 2021.

Women were identified through social media, dating apps, in-person encounters and party promoters before being offered luxury experiences, travel and accommodations. On multiple occasions, prosecutors said, women were then drugged and forcibly raped or sexually assaulted, sometimes by multiple men.

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Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Jones described it during closing arguments as a "consistent playbook to lure, isolate and rape their victims."

Willemin said the brothers' wealth and access did more than help draw women into their social circles. He said it also heightened fears about what could happen if victims accused them publicly.

"There's an added layer of concern that the women who come forward are going to be retaliated against," Willemin said.

That could include fears of being pushed out of social circles, being surveilled or facing other potentially violent behavior, he said.

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"That's something that is a very real fear for women that is exacerbated when someone can use wealth and power to help secure silence," Willemin said.

Willemin represents Angelica Parker, who sued all three brothers in 2024, along with Samantha Fields and a Jane Doe who have brought separate civil claims.

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Parker alleges Oren invited her and a friend to the New York City apartment he shared with Tal and Alon in 2012, where Oren and Alon offered the women ecstasy, which they declined.

After Parker's friend left the apartment, Parker alleges Alon and Tal sexually assaulted her together while Oren watched.

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The allegations in Parker's lawsuit are separate civil claims and were not adjudicated by the federal jury that convicted the brothers.

Willemin said evidence that emerged during the criminal prosecution nevertheless supports Parker's contention that what allegedly happened to her was planned rather than spontaneous.

"There was a whole host of evidence with respect to text messages and videos and other behaviors that suggested that these sexual assaults were not the random acts of spontaneity, but were, in fact, planned, which help also support the allegation made by Ms. Parker," Willemin said.

The federal prosecution may now also change the landscape for the remaining civil cases.

Willemin said Parker's case has progressed further than the other two his firm is handling and is moving through an appeals process involving whether older sexual assault claims can proceed.

An argument is scheduled in January before the New York Court of Appeals over legal issues Willemin said could determine the outcome of numerous civil cases against the brothers.

"The civil cases are moving forward now," Willemin said. "And one of the sort of roadblocks to that was to have the criminal case completed. That's now obviously completed to a degree and now the civil cases should be able to move forward."

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When asked whether additional women may have been victimized but never publicly came forward, Willemin said, "I wouldn't doubt that at all."

"It would be, you know, frankly, pretty surprising if every woman who had been the victim of a sexual assault by the Alexander brothers has come forward, given the evidence that we have as far as how widespread this occurred," Willemin said.

At Tuesday's sentencing, the brothers continued to deny drugging, raping or trafficking women while acknowledging and expressing regret for past attitudes and comments about women.

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Federal prosecutors had sought life sentences, while defense attorneys asked for the mandatory minimum of 15 years.

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U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni ultimately sentenced each brother to 30 years in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release. Alon and Oren were each fined $300,000, while Tal was fined $350,000.

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For Willemin's clients, the federal sentences represent only one part of what they are seeking.

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His firm hopes to move its three civil cases through discovery and ultimately to trial, where Willemin said his clients want juries to recognize that they were wronged and provide a remedy through the civil justice system.

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"The criminal convictions were welcome for sure, and the sentence, although it could have been longer, it could have been life, was also significantly longer than the minimum sentence that could have been given," Willemin said.

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Asked whether he believed 30 years was a just sentence, Willemin pointed to the brothers' continued denials and said he believes accountability remains lacking.

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"At this point in time, life really seems like the only fair sentence," Willemin said.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Alexanders' attorneys for comment.

A Sullivan County judge heard oral arguments Thursday to determine whether New York Attorney General Letitia James should be removed as special prosecutor in the reopened criminal investigation into an alleged gang rape at Cornell University.

The proceeding ended without an immediate ruling from Judge James Farrell.

The hearing stems from a challenge filed by defense attorney Andrew Miltenberg, who represents Gillio Lopes, one of the men accused in the case.

Lopes is one of seven former Chi Phi fraternity brothers who are accused in a lawsuit of drugging and raping a female Cornell student at their fraternity house in October 2024.

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Defense counsel argued that social media comments posted by James prior to her official appointment as "special prosecutor" demonstrate a pre-existing bias and a presumption of guilt that undermines the prosecution's neutrality.

"What this young woman has been forced to endure is horrific and unacceptable," James had posted on social media. "I’m holding her in my heart and in my prayers. To her, and to all survivors: you’re not alone. We stand with you."

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Arguing before the court, Miltenberg pointed to those public declarations of support as proof of a pre-determined bias.

"Whether it affects all or just one, either the court determines the statements made by AG James take her out of contention to be neutral party reviewing case or not," Miltenberg argued, calling the initial public statements an "original sin" for the case.

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In a statement sent to Fox News on Thursday, a spokesperson for James' office said, "As indicated in our motion before the court, these claims are without merit. The Office of the Attorney General remains committed to conducting an investigation guided only by the facts, the evidence, and the law."

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Representing the state, Assistant Attorney General Kaitlin Vigars defended Gov. Kathy Hochul's appointment of James and pushed back against the disqualification effort, emphasizing that public statements alone do not meet the legal threshold for removal.

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Vigars argued that to warrant disqualification, there needs to be a showing of actual prejudice rather than speculative claims of bias.

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Farrell peppered Vigars with questions about the circumstances leading up to James’ appointment, including if Hochul was aware of James’ social media comment, if James and Hochul were standing together when the governor made remarks about the "brave young woman," if that runs afoul of professional conduct, and if the purpose of appointing the AG was to avoid bias.

Farrell also raised broader procedural concerns during the arguments, noting the potential for conflicting legal rulings if challenges proceed piecemeal across jurisdictions.

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"If multiple judges come down with decisions that’s chaos," Farrell said from the bench, "and the court should not fashion chaos."

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Hochul appointed James as special prosecutor on Oct. 1 after stepping in to bypass the local Tompkins County district attorney, who had previously declined to bring charges.

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With no decision rendered at the conclusion of Thursday's arguments, the judge is expected to issue a formal written ruling in the coming days on whether James will remain as special prosecutor or if the investigation must be reassigned.

Hochul later said on Thursday that all sexual offense complaints at Cornell University are now being referred to New York State Police, rather than Cornell University Police, unless otherwise requested by that individual.

"Every student deserves to feel safe on their campus," she said in a statement, in part. "And when someone reports sexual assault, they deserve to be heard, treated with compassion, and know their allegations will be taken seriously and thoroughly investigated by law enforcement trained to support survivors.

"What Jane Doe described is horrifying. Survivors should be able to trust the institutions responsible for protecting them. We cannot afford to let them down."

A DNA breakthrough has solved the 52-year-old murder of a Utah police chief's teenage daughter, and the cold-case detective who helped crack it says notorious serial killer Ted Bundy could have other victims investigators do not even know about.

Melissa Ann Smith, 17, the daughter of then-Midvale Police Chief Louis Smith, was found dead in 1974. For decades, investigators suspected Bundy but lacked the evidence needed to definitively tie him to her murder.

That changed in July, when DNA evidence in the killing of another 17-year-old Utah girl, Laura Ann Aime, was matched to Bundy, allowing investigators to compare evidence preserved from Smith's case for more than half a century.

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"There may be more victims out there that we're not even aware of, and I think there's always been that speculation," Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office Detective Ben Pender told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview Wednesday.

Pender, a 35-year law enforcement veteran assigned to the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office unsolved homicide and missing person unit, said investigators plan to preserve the evidence that helped solve Smith's murder so it can potentially be used in other cases.

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"We're gonna hold on to this evidence, and we're gonna utilize it in cases that we believe may be connected to see if we can't resolve not only our case, but anybody else who may have a case with Bundy," Pender said.

Smith's body was discovered by hunters on Oct. 27, 1974, in a wooded area near the border of Summit and Salt Lake counties.

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"These cases that are unsolved are unsolved, in my opinion, for a reason, and because they are extremely difficult to solve," Pender said.

Although investigators had long suspected Bundy, similarities between Smith's killing and his other crimes were not enough to definitively tie him to her death.

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Investigators needed evidence establishing that Bundy was responsible rather than relying on a similar method of operation, Pender said.

"DNA is not always the answer, but it definitely is a piece that's missing a lot of times in these cases that, with everything else with the case, will maybe bring that together," Pender said.

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The break investigators needed ultimately came from the Aime case.

Aime vanished after leaving a Halloween party to buy cigarettes on Oct. 31, 1974. Her body was discovered by hikers near American Fork Canyon days later, and investigators determined she had been raped, strangled and murdered.

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Bundy was considered the prime suspect for decades, but authorities lacked evidence conclusively tying him to the killing.

Investigators eventually developed a DNA profile from evidence in Aime's case that was linked to Bundy. Remaining evidence from her case then gave investigators an opportunity to compare it with evidence preserved from Smith's killing.

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Pender said investigators had retained reports and evidence from the original Smith investigation, including evidence collected during her postmortem examination.

Utah County investigators reached out to Summit County after the breakthrough in the Aime case to determine whether the remaining evidence could help resolve Smith's murder. Summit County then turned to Pender because Salt Lake County had maintained evidence from the 1974 investigation.

Investigators worked with the Utah Bureau of Forensic Services to compare DNA evidence from the two cases and determined the profiles matched.

The DNA findings, combined with evidence involving Bundy's pattern, motive, means and opportunity, led authorities to conclude Bundy killed Smith and formally close her case Tuesday, 52 years to the day after her body was found.

The breakthrough would not have been possible without evidence preserved by investigators for more than five decades.

"It's extremely important, in all of these cases, to preserve the evidence," Pender said. "We, in all homicide cases, we maintain that evidence forever."

"We don't ever get rid of that, even if a case is resolved or solved, and we don't get rid of it for this very reason," he added.

But Pender cautioned that solving one decades-old murder through DNA does not mean investigators can simply run every unsolved killing potentially connected to Bundy through a database.

Each case is different. Some have DNA evidence while others do not, and evidence collected decades ago may have degraded, been handled before investigators understood the importance of preserving DNA or contain genetic material from multiple people.

"Back then, DNA wasn't a thing, so nobody knew of it," Pender said.

Advances in forensic technology continue to give investigators new opportunities to examine old evidence, but the limitations of individual cases remain.

Pender said his caseload includes 34 unsolved homicides and 14 adult missing person cases in which investigators suspect foul play. He stressed that those cases are not believed to be connected to Bundy, with one notable exception.

Nancy Wilcox remains missing, and Pender said Bundy confessed to killing her. Her body has never been recovered, preventing investigators from closing the case based solely on his confession.

Smith's case, Pender said Tuesday, "does not close the book on Ted Bundy."

Investigators intend to continue working on Wilcox's disappearance and preserve the Bundy evidence for any other cases in which it could prove useful.

Other cases potentially tied to Bundy could also yield new answers through DNA, Pender said.

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"I think it's definitely possible," Pender said. "It just depends on what information other agencies maybe have in their particular cases."

Pender emphasized that cooperation among law enforcement agencies was critical to solving Smith's murder, with Summit, Salt Lake and Utah counties working alongside the state crime lab.

"It's more about the victim, right? It's about the victim, the family, the community, it's about resolving the case," Pender said.

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Bundy killed at least 30 women and girls across multiple states during the 1970s, though investigators have long suspected his true victim count could be higher.

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He confessed to dozens of murders before his death, including crimes that had previously been unknown to police, but not every killing attributed to him has been independently confirmed.

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Bundy was convicted and sentenced to death for murdering two Florida State University students in 1979 and received another death sentence the following year for the rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl.

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He was executed in Florida's electric chair in 1989.

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Nearly four decades later, Pender said it still matters that investigators prove which crimes Bundy actually committed rather than simply attributing unresolved murders to one of America's most notorious serial killers.

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"It is very important that we always make sure of who we are suspecting, or have accused, or have confirmed that it's actually that person, regardless of the number of killings or murders that Ted Bundy committed," Pender said. "It's still important that we connect them the right way, and we don't just … throw everything on to Ted Bundy that we're not quite sure of."

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"We don't want to accuse the wrong person of something that they didn't maybe have any involvement," he added.

Former Colombian President Gustavo Petro has been accused of trapping and exploiting 48 women for presidential parties, with officials alleging they were hired "just to be with President Petro."

Carlos Andrés Ríos, director of Colombia’s Administrative Department of the Presidency (DAPRE), claimed Petro oversaw a system that used service contracts to "systematically" control and weaponize the women, channeling public salaries in exchange for intimate relationships.

"We are going to prove to the Colombian people how the Casa de Nariño was unfortunately set up, organized, and tailored for something completely different — not to govern, but to party there every single day, bring in women," Rios said during a congressional hearing last week.

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Petro issued a statement Sunday denying that he had used his public office to obtain sex.

"I have never given out a contract in exchange for sexual relations. I would vomit on myself if I ever did such a thing," Petro said in a post on X.

He argued that while his office provided state-funded aid programs for vulnerable women, he claimed that it is fundamentally different from giving contracts to individuals in exchange for sexual favors.

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"Helping poor women, female heads of households, and those engaged in sex work so that they have different life options — as I have demonstrated in public administration through concrete and funded programs — is something very different from giving out contracts in exchange for sexual relations. No person who has participated in those public programs will ever be able to say that I have done anything of the sort," he said.

Petro also acknowledged in the statement that he had occasionally visited establishments where sex work took place when he was young, saying he regretted the experiences and had stopped visiting such places decades ago.

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"When I was very young, I occasionally visited places where sex work was practiced. There, I experienced that paying for sex felt dirty to me, and I perceived the sadness of the men and women who attended those places. That is why I stopped visiting them decades ago," he said.

The accusations come amid broader criticism of Petro over alleged misuse of public funds, depletion of national budgets and drug trafficking. 

Petro has dismissed the allegations as politically motivated attacks by figures such as President Donald Trump and Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella.

"After attempting to portray me as corrupt and a drug trafficker — an intention expressed by people like Abelardo de la Espriella and Donald Trump, without being able to present a single piece of evidence of corruption or drug trafficking, because I have never stolen a single peso from the public treasury and I have fought for over two decades against drug traffickers, exposing their political ties," Petro said. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.