Tate brothers to seek release from US jail while fighting extradition
Social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate will push for their release from a U.S. prison as they fight the British government’s efforts to extradite them, their lawyers said Monday.
Andrew Tate, 39, and Tristan Tate, 38, were arrested in Miami on July 18 on charges of rape, assault and facilitating human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service said it had brought new charges against the brothers in connection with crimes against four alleged victims between July 2010 and August 2017.
The Tate brothers, both former kickboxers with dual US and British citizenship, have denied any wrongdoing. The defendants are being held in a federal prison in Miami while a US judge considers Britain’s extradition request.
The arrests have opened a new chapter in growing legal troubles for the brothers, who have built a massive online platform advocating their views on masculinity and wealth. Andrew Tate has previously described himself as a misogynist.
Andrew Tate and Tristan Tate previously faced rape and human trafficking charges in Britain in relation to three victims, the Crown Prosecution Service said. A British judge issued an arrest warrant for these men in January 2024. They did not appear in British court to defend against these charges.
Britain is seeking to extradite the brothers to face both charges.
Tate brothers’ detention hearing on August 13
Prosecutors with the Miami U.S. Attorney’s Office said in court documents that U.S. Magistrate Judge Lauren Louis should have kept the brothers in custody because they were a flight risk and a danger to the community.
The Tate brothers’ lawyer, Joseph McBride, denied that the brothers were a flight risk and stated that they had attended the necessary hearings in Romania, where they have been under criminal investigation since 2022 due to allegations of human trafficking.
“Innocent men do not escape justice. Innocent men seek refuge in justice because justice will prove them right at the end of the day,” McBride told reporters outside the federal courthouse in Miami after the status conference in St. Louis.
Defense lawyer Jacqueline Perczek said the brothers will file a legal application to be released on bail by August 5, and a hearing on their release proposal will be held on August 13.
Rubio will decide on extradition of Tate brothers
The legal process to determine whether the Tate brothers can be extradited could take months.
U.S. court records show Britain must submit its entire extradition request to the State Department by Sept. 16.
Prosecutors said in court documents that any judge presiding over Louis or the Tate brothers’ case would be responsible for determining whether England had provided sufficient evidence to provide probable cause that the brothers committed the crimes they are accused of.
Prosecutors said it would be up to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to decide whether to extradite them.
Rubio told reporters in Manila on July 22 that he did not expect to intervene in the case for now.
“We don’t have a role to play now or perhaps in the future,” Rubio said.
