Staff report
| USA TODAYKickboxer-turned-influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan Tate were arrested Saturday, July 18, in Miami outside of a bareknuckle boxing event, according to authorities in the United Kingdom and the pair's lawyers.The Tates were taken into custody by U.S. Marshals outside of James L. Knight Center, as British authorities seek to extradite them to the United Kingdom on a slew of new counts of criminal misconduct."Officers from our major crimes unit have been working closely alongside the Crown Prosecution Service and both national and international law enforcement agencies as part of this complex investigation," said Karena Thomas, the assistant chief constable in the Bedfordshire, England, police department. "We understand the interest that this case will generate, but we would urge the public not to speculate and to allow the legal process to be carried out correctly.""There is no place for male violance against women and girls, and we will continue to work tirelessly to support victims and investigate all reports made to us."Authorities in the U.K. are authorizerd to file 38 new charges against the brothers, bringing the total they face to 59, including 42 against Andrew Tate, 39, and 17 against Tristan Tate, 38, according to British officials. The charges include rape and arranging or facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation, among others."We have decided to prosecute Andrew and Tristan Tate for further offences including rape, arranging or facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation and offences relating to indecent images of a child," Malcolm McHaffie, head of the Special Crime Division at Britain's Crown Prosecution Service, said in a statement.The U.S. Marshals Service did not immediately return requests for comment.The Tates, who have dual U.S. and British citizenship, have maintained their innocence with past charges and with the most recent ones. Joseph D. McBride, a lawyer for the brothers, criticized the arrests in a statement released July 18."The world knows Andrew and Tristan Tate are innocent. Their enemies know it best of all," McBride said. "That is exactly why they have been attacked.""This is a political hit ordered by a dying empire that fears two free men with a microphone more than it fears actual criminals walking its streets," McBride added.The Tate brothers have amassed more than 10 million followers on X and hundreds of thousands more on other platforms. They push a form of hyper masculinity and openly describe themselves as misogynists.The Tates were expected to host the debut event of Russia-based bareknuckle boxing promotion IBA Bare Knuckle alongside former UFC champion Jon Jones. Instead, the Tates were handcuffed outside the venue as British authorities seek their extradition, according to multiple media reports.The arrests mark the latest in a widening legal battle for the brothers, who already face criminal proceedings in Romania, where authorities have been investigating them since December 2022.Andrew Tate is due to face trial in Britain this year in a civil case brought by four women for alleged physical and sexual abuse.The four women have have been granted anonymity and allege Tate subjected them to physical or sexual violence between 2013 and 2015. Two say they were in an intimate relationship with Tate, while two worked for his online webcam business.Andrew Tate denies the allegations. In his written defense, his lawyers said the claims are false and that all sexual activity was consensual.Contributing: Reuters
