Controversial influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate were arrested in Miami on Saturday, as British authorities move to seek their extradition to the UK on charges of rape and sex trafficking.
According to a report by the Associated Press, the brothers were taken into custody by the US Marshals Service under a sealed arrest warrant. UK prosecutors subsequently confirmed they are seeking the extradition of both men, who stand accused of raping and trafficking women between 2010 and 2017.
The Tate brothers were previously arrested in Romania in 2022, where they face separate charges of rape and human trafficking. Both have denied all charges against them and were permitted to leave Romania last year, departing for Florida, US, on a private jet.
What are the charges against the Tate brothers?
Andrew Tate, 39, has been charged with seven counts of rape, three counts of arranging or facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation, three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and 19 additional charges relating to indecent images of a child and extreme pornography.
Tristan Tate, 38, faces one count of sexual assault, two counts of rape, and three counts of arranging or facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation.
The UK’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) added that the brothers were already facing 21 charges covering rape, bodily harm, and human trafficking.
US likely to extradite the Tate brothers under 2003 treaty
Following the arrest, the US Department of Justice said Andrew and Tristan were taken into custody in accordance with existing treaties and law enforcement agreements governing extradition.
The US and UK signed a bilateral extradition treaty in 2003, which the US embassy in London has described as a mechanism to “simplify” the process of addressing serious crimes between the two countries. For extradition to proceed, the offence in question must be recognised as a punishable crime in both jurisdictions — a condition that applies in this case.
Even so, a federal court must first determine whether the UK’s extradition request meets the requirements set out in the 2003 treaty, under which British authorities are required to demonstrate “reasonable suspicion” in support of the request. The Tate brothers will also have the opportunity to contest the request through the American court system.
Lawyer says brothers will “walk out free”
Joseph McBride, the lawyer representing the Tate brothers, said he was confident both Andrew and Tristan would “walk out free.”
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Pointing to the ongoing case in Romania, McBride told CNN that the UK is barred from filing an extradition request while those proceedings remain active.
“Those proceedings are ongoing right now. That agreement exists because no nation gets to trample the judicial sovereignty of another for political convenience,” he said.
McBride added that the Tate brothers, who hold dual US and UK citizenship, described the charges and arrest to reporters as an “egregious abuse” of authority.
“We are confident that once a competent judge sees the facts, and once the Department of Justice confronts this egregious abuse of its own authority, Andrew and Tristan Tate will walk free. America does not do Britain’s political dirty work. Not here. Never,” he said.