By LUKE KENTON, US SENIOR REPORTER
The story of the Alexander brothers is best known as a tale of three high-flying siblings accused of abusing their wealth and power to drug and rape women.
A saga of private jets, penthouses and unchecked excess now unraveling under the glare of a federal sex-trafficking trial, where they have all pled not guilty.
But there is a lesser-known fourth brother – the eldest – raised in the same North Miami home as Tal, 39, and twins Alon and Oren, 38, whose life has followed a markedly different path, albeit one still defined by extraordinary wealth and opulence.
Niv Alexander, 45, has appeared several times at the Manhattan federal courthouse, offering what has so far been quiet solidarity with his brothers who face life in prison if convicted of the most serious crimes.
He maintains a low profile and sits away from the rest of the family, making notes on a large notepad. Niv has not been accused of wrongdoing and is not charged in the case.
At his side during a late-January appearance was his wife, Cassie Arison, a philanthropist and heiress to the Carnival Cruise empire whose family has had their own fair share of scandal.
Her mother, Shari Arison, is widely considered Israel’s richest woman, with an estimated net worth exceeding $5 billion.
In contrast to the nightlife notoriety and headline-grabbing success that once defined his younger brothers’ public personas, Niv has largely kept a lower profile.
Niv Alexander, pictured with his billionaire heiress wife Cassie Arison in 2024, appeared in court to support his younger brothers earlier this month
Niv was raised in the same North Miami home as Tal (center) and twins Alon and Oren
Tal Alexander (front, blue shorts) and identical twins Oren and Alon (back row) are facing federal sex trafficking charges in Manhattan court; they have pleaded not guilty
On LinkedIn, he describes himself simply – and vaguely – as a ‘contrarian investor type.’
He serves on the board of the Jerusalem Foundation and previously worked as a journalist for Yedioth Ahronoth, one of Israel’s largest daily newspapers.
For eight years, he worked at the private security company founded by his parents, Shlomi and Orly Alexander, in Miami – the enterprise that propelled the family into affluence.
Unlike his younger siblings, Niv’s public record is relatively sparse. Florida court filings show a handful of boating-related speeding infractions from the late 1990s and early 2000s.
In 2011, he was charged in Miami-Dade with disorderly conduct and obstruction, though the case was later dropped.
Today, Niv lives with Arison in New York where they split their time between a $13 million, 5,000-square-foot luxury SoHo apartment and a $5.4m, six-bedroom Georgian-style mansion in Bedford, just north of Manhattan.
In 2023, Niv and a group of neighbors sued the Bedford Planning Board and Verizon in an effort to block the installation of a 130-foot cell tower near his mansion.
In an affidavit, he described the home as a 50-acre haven for wildlife, including eagles and blue herons, and a place of ‘peace and solitude’ after years in the ‘fast-paced’ environment of New York City.
‘When we purchased our home, we never anticipated the Town of Bedford would attempt to place a 130-foot cell tower directly across the street from our property,’ he wrote, adding that the structure would resemble ‘a surveillance tower hovering over our property.’
Niv and Arison are regular fixtures on the philanthropic circuit, photographed at fundraisers and gallery events across New York
The couple’s SoHo residence was featured in Architectural Digest in March 2022, which described the Mediterranean-inspired space as a ‘tour de force’ of design, complete with a custom-built, glass-enclosed solarium.
The apartment has also doubled as a salon of sorts for the philanthropic and art-world set, hosting star-studded gatherings and private events.
Martha Stewart was among the high-profile guests at one such function last year.
Niv and Arison are regular fixtures on the philanthropic circuit, photographed at fundraisers and gallery events across New York.
Arison, a publisher, philanthropist and art collector, founded the Tel Aviv-based magazine As Promised and serves on several prominent boards, including The Jewish Museum in New York and the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum, where she is listed as a Founding Donor after contributing $1 million.
Her sister, Sarah Arison, is a major figure in the New York and Miami art worlds and currently serves as President of the Board of Trustees at the Museum of Modern Art.
The Arison fortune traces back to her grandfather, Ted Arison, who co-founded Carnival Cruise Line in the 1970s and built it into a global cruise empire.
His daughter – and Cassie Arison’s mother – Shari Arison later inherited a significant stake and expanded the family’s holdings, becoming one of Israel’s most powerful business figures – though she was no stranger to controversy herself.
During Shari’s tenure as controlling shareholder of Bank Hapoalim, Israel’s largest bank, the institution faced major investigations and ultimately paid more than $800 million to resolve US probes tied to tax evasion by American clients.
The couple’s SoHo residence was featured in Architectural Digest in March 2022
Promotional picture of a showroom in the couple’s luxury apartment building, where units sell for millions of dollars
Cassie Arison’s mother, Shari Arison, is widely considered Israel’s richest woman, with an estimated net worth exceeding $5 billion
Her personal life also played out in public.
In 2004, she was embroiled in a custody dispute after relocating to Miami with her youngest son, prompting the boy’s father to file kidnapping charges. The case was later dismissed by a US federal judge.
Testimony in the case continues Tuesday.
Original source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15586243/alexander-brothers-sex-crimes-trial-israel-wife-heiress.html