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Andrew and Tristan Tate will remain behind bars in the United States pending their extradition back to Europe, where they are wanted on charges including sex trafficking and rape, a federal judge in Miami ruled Sept. 9.In a 30-page order filed in the Southern District of Florida reviewed by USA TODAY, Magistrate Judge Lauren Louis denied a defense motion for the brothers' release. The move means the pair will remain jailed during what could be a monthslong extradition process.On Sept. 4, Romanian prosecutors indicted 39-year-old Andrew Tate for allegedly trafficking minors, money laundering, sex with a minor and witness tampering, and his 38-year-old brother Tristan Tate for alleged complicity.The former kickboxers and social media influencers with dual U.S. and British citizenship were arrested by U.S. Marshals in Miami on July 18 after British prosecutors requested their extradition to England, where they previously lived, to face new felony charges. The charges are in addition to dozens of previous criminal charges brought against the Tates filed by Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service (BCPS).The driving force for the duo's arrest stemmed from new charges brought by BCPS relating to alleged offenses involving four victims between July 2010 and August 2017.The brothers previously faced rape and human trafficking charges in Britain in connection to three alleged victims, BCPS said. Although a British judge issued warrants for their arrests in 2024, the brothers have not yet appeared in British court to enter a plea on those charges.Mainly based in Romania since 2017, the pair has been under investigation since December 2022 in that country for allegations including human trafficking. Court documents filed by the Romania Public Ministry Prosecutor's Office reviewed by USA TODAY show the alleged criminal activity took place there between 2014 and 2022.Prosecutors: Tate brothers are a danger to the communityPrior to the judge denying the brothers' bond, federal prosecutors in Miami called the siblings a flight risk and said they posed a danger to the community if released, citing allegations from British authorities regarding their alleged violent sex crimes."The Tates are among the most recognizable public figures on the internet with a massive social media following. Andrew has more than ten million followers on X and was the third-most Googled person in the world in 2023," the attorneys wrote in court filings. "Tristan has more than three million followers on X. Their content generates billions of views across multiple platforms, including more than 20 billion views associated with the hashtag AndrewTate on TikTok."The Tates' Miami- and New York-based defense lawyers, in an Aug. 7 motion for release reviewed by USA TODAY, argued there was no need to keep them incarcerated prior to extradition because their "extraordinary public visibility" would make it hard for them to flee.The defense attorneys also argued both had regularly appeared in court in Romania. The Tates have denied any wrongdoing.Britain has until Sept. 16 to submit its full extradition request to the State Department, Reuters reported, and the legal process for determining whether the brothers will be extradited may take several months.Contributing: ReutersNatalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
