Influencer brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate will fight extradition to the United Kingdom, their lawyer told a U.S. magistrate in Miami on Monday after the brothers were arrested to face rape and sex trafficking charges. The Tates appeared in federal court for the first time since their arrest on Saturday and are being held in federal detention.
In the coming weeks, a U.S. district judge will consider whether they meet the conditions for extradition. The brothers, normally photographed in tailored suits and stylish fitted shirts, wore tan jail uniforms and handcuffs during the brief hearing.
U.S. Magistrate Lauren Louis set another hearing for next Monday. An attorney for the brothers, Joseph McBride, blasted the latest charges as "filth and slander." Before Monday's court appearance, McBride told reporters the chances of the brothers being released following the hearing were "slim to none." "That does not have anything to do with the merits of the case," McBride said.
"That is just what happens typically in these situations." McBride had said he was confident the extradition request would ultimately be denied. He said Monday the brothers would "exhaust all remedies" to fight extradition from the U.S. Prosecutors in Britain said the new charges relate to four new victims and were brought after authorities received evidence from Bedfordshire Police in southeastern England.
The allegations, spanning 2010 to 2017, include rape, assault, trafficking and offenses relating to "indecent images of a child and extreme pornography." The brothers are already charged with rape, bodily harm, human trafficking and controlling prostitution for gain relating to three other alleged victims in the U.K. between 2012 and 2015. Their lawyer said in a statement Saturday that he believed the arrests were "greenlighted by a low-level functionary" at the Justice Department without input from leadership.
But the Justice Department told The Associated Press that the arrests were approved by leadership of its Criminal Division. The new allegations are the latest in a long-running international legal saga involving the Tates that has spanned the U.S., Britain and Romania. The brothers have repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
Their social media empire promoting wealth, male dominance and misogyny has made them among the world's most polarizing internet personalities. McBride characterized the new allegations as a "political hit job." Asked if Secretary of State Marco Rubio would ultimately sign off on extraditing the brothers, McBride said, "I believe that Marco Rubio and the rest of the Trump administration are not fans of communism, they're not fans of prosecuting people for free speech." A senior State Department official told reporters in a statement that the agency "has no plans to act on this matter at this time," adding that Rubio has not spoken with the Tate brothers or their attorney. President Trump doesn't plan to get involved with the Tate case, a U.S.
official familiar with the matter and another source familiar told CBS News on Monday. The dual U.S. and British citizens moved to Romania in 2016.
They were arrested there in 2022, accused of participating in schemes to lure women for sexual exploitation. They denied those allegations, and the Romanian case hasn't gone forward because of legal and procedural problems. Last year, they were allowed to leave Romania and flew to Florida.
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