Social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate, known for promoting wealth, male dominance, and misogynistic views, have been arrested in Miami following an extradition request by British authorities concerning allegations of rape and human trafficking.
The US Marshals took Andrew and Tristan into custody on Saturday under a sealed warrant, agency spokesman Brady McCarron confirmed to the Associated Press. The arrests pull the United States directly into an international legal battle that spans Romania and the United Kingdom.
British prosecutors announced Saturday that they are seeking the extradition of both brothers on charges alleging they raped and trafficked women between 2010 and 2017. The alleged offenses stem from the region north of London where the brothers grew up.
Holding dual US and British citizenship, the brothers moved to Romania in 2016. They were arrested there in 2022 on charges of luring women for sexual exploitation. Both have consistently denied those charges, and that case eventually stalled due to legal and procedural irregularities.
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The brothers are expected to appear in Miami federal court early next week, according to an anonymous source familiar with the law enforcement operation.
Joseph McBride, an attorney representing the Tate brothers, described the UK allegations as “vile slanders” designed to derail defamation lawsuits the brothers filed in the US. McBride stated that opponents are doing everything in their power to ensure his clients cannot defend themselves in court, expressing confidence that a judge will release them and asserting that the United States will not do political “dirty work” for the UK.
Andrew Tate, 39, first reached a mainstream audience as a contestant on the UK reality show Big Brother in 2016. He was removed from the show after a video surfaced appearing to show him striking a woman. He and his 38-year-old brother, Tristan Tate, are vocal supporters of US President Donald Trump.