Tate Brothers Fight Extradition To U.k., Where They Face Rape And Sex Trafficking Charges

MIAMI — Social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate will conflict extradition to nan United Kingdom, wherever nan brothers are accused of rape and activity trafficking, their lawyer said Monday, suggesting their apprehension successful Miami was politically motivated without explaining why.

The Tates appeared successful national tribunal Monday for nan first clip since their apprehension connected Saturday and are being held successful national detention. In nan coming weeks, a U.S. territory judge will see whether they meet nan conditions for extradition.

The brothers, done their societal media empire promoting wealth, antheral power and misogyny, are among nan world’s astir polarizing net personalities.

Normally photographed successful tailored suits and fitted shirts, they wore tan jailhouse uniforms and handcuffs during nan little hearing. Neither relative said a word.

Their attorney, Joseph McBride, insisted they should stay successful nan U.S.

“We are of people objecting to extradition because Andrew and Tristan are innocent,” McBride said aft nan hearing. “They’ve ne'er done thing wrong. They shouldn’t beryllium extradited for crimes they did not commit.”

The brothers were amazed erstwhile they were arrested, McBride said, adding that nan effort to person them extradited was politically motivated. “There’s nary mobility astir it,” he told reporters.

McBride suggested nan Tates’ lawsuit “had a batch to do with” erstwhile British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s determination to measurement down, without providing immoderate details, and said it was nary coincidence that nan brothers were arrested aft gathering “friends successful Washington, D.C.”

“We went to spot our Congress group successful D.C. and now we’re getting arrested. This feels political,” McBride said. He didn’t specify whom nan brace met pinch aliases what was discussed.

Prosecutors successful Britain said nan caller charges subordinate to 4 caller victims and were brought aft authorities received grounds from Bedfordshire Police successful southeastern England. The allegations, spanning 2010 to 2017, see rape, assault, trafficking and offenses relating to “indecent images of a kid and utmost pornography.”

The brothers are already charged pinch rape, bodily harm, quality trafficking and controlling adultery for summation relating to 3 different alleged victims successful nan U.K. betwixt 2012 and 2015.

McBride said successful a connection Saturday that he believed nan arrests were “greenlighted by a low-level functionary” astatine nan Justice Department without input from leadership. The DOJ told nan Associated Press that nan arrests were approved by activity of its Criminal Division.

The caller allegations are nan latest successful a long-running world ineligible saga involving nan Tates that has spanned nan U.S., Britain and Romania. The brothers person many times denied wrongdoing.

The dual U.S. and British citizens moved to Romania successful 2016. They were arrested location successful 2022, accused of participating successful schemes to lure women for intersexual exploitation. They denied those allegations and nan Romanian lawsuit hasn’t gone guardant because of ineligible and procedural problems.

Andrew Tate, 39, first became known a decade agone erstwhile he was a contestant connected nan U.K. reality tv show “Big Brother.” He was booted from nan show erstwhile a video appeared to show him assaulting a woman.

He has amassed complete 10 cardinal followers connected X but has been banned from different platforms for violating dislike reside guidelines, including YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. He has made wide condemned comments, specified arsenic saying women who are sexually assaulted should carnivore immoderate work for nan attacks and sharing schematic descriptions of really he mightiness onslaught women.

The Tate brothers person consistently denied allegations of maltreatment and quality trafficking, claiming their convulsive and misogynistic statements person been taken retired of discourse aliases were intended arsenic jokes.

Fischer writes for nan Associated Press. Associated Press reporters Alanna Durkin Richer successful Washington, D.C., and John Seewer successful Toledo, Ohio, contributed.