The Tate brothers flew to Florida last week from Romania where they were facing rape and trafficking charges.
A criminal investigation into self-described misogynist influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan has been opened in Florida, authorities said Tuesday.
The two brothers arrived in the state last week despite facing trial in Romania on charges of rape, people trafficking, money laundering and sex with a minor.
Attorney General James Uthmeier posed on X that he directed his office to work with law enforcement to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the Tate brothers, including asking the state prosecutor’s office to issue search warrants and subpoenas.
Uthmeier said that both brothers had “publicly admitted to participating in what very much appears to be soliciting, trafficking, preying upon women around the world.”
He added that multiple victims, including minors, had come forward.
Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis said Thursday that the brothers were not welcome in the state and warned the attorney general would be looking into whether Florida has jurisdiction over any of their alleged crimes.
Andrew Tate has hit back on social media, claiming the proposed investigation an example of “communism” and reposting messages claiming that DeSantis is trying to embarrass the Trump administration by launching an investigation.
In a media appearance on Monday, Andrew Tate denied any wrongdoing and said he has a US passport and the right to visit his home country. He also said he has broken no laws and not been tried, or indeed convicted, of a crime.
Slew of charges and accusations
The Tate brothers, who are dual US-UK citizens, were arrested in Romania in late 2022 and formally indicted on charges of participating in a criminal ring in which women were lured into the country to be then exploited.
In January, an appeals court returned the pair’s case to prosecutors, leading to their release from house arrest, although they were not permitted to leave the country.
They are facing an additional civil suit from a woman in the US who claimed the brothers coerced her into sex work and defamed her as she gave evidence to the Romanian authorities.
The influencers also face charges in the UK, where the police accuse them of human trafficking and rape between 2012 and 2015. The brothers deny the charges.
Last week, the pair boarded a flight from Romania to the US. Their lawyer confirmed to Euronews that they were heading to Florida for a visit and were set to report to Romanian police once a month.
The Tates, who both supported Donald Trump’s presidential bid last year, went to the US soon after the new administration in Washington spoke to the Romanian authorities about them.
The Romanian government has denied that the US has pressured it to act. Trump’s special envoy Richard Grenell raised the subject of the brothers with the Romanian Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu during a conversation at the Munich Security Conference in February.
Additional sources • AP
