Tate brothers arrested in Miami on UK extradition warrant

Andrew and Tristan Tate were arrested by federal authorities in Miami on Saturday as British prosecutors brought additional rape, trafficking and sexual offense charges against the influencer brothers and said they would seek their extradition to the United Kingdom.

The U.S. Marshals Service confirmed the arrests but said the warrant was sealed. “We can confirm the arrest of the Tate brothers today in Miami,” the agency said. “The warrant was sealed so we are unable to confirm the charges.”

A Justice Department spokesperson told CBS News the arrests were “pursuant to extradition proceedings” and “made in accordance with the treaties and law enforcement agreements governing Justice Department extraditions.” The brothers are expected to appear in Miami federal court early next week, NPR reported, citing a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The U.K.’s Crown Prosecution Service said Andrew Tate, 39, faces seven additional counts of rape, three counts of arranging or facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation, three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and 19 additional charges related to indecent images of a child and extreme pornography.

Tristan Tate, 38, faces one count of sexual assault, two counts of rape and three counts of arranging or facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation, prosecutors said. The alleged offenses took place between July 2010 and August 2017.

Malcolm McHaffie, head of the CPS Special Crime Division, said the new charging decisions followed “receipt of a further file of evidence from Bedfordshire Police” and “bring the total number of alleged victims in this case to seven.” Prosecutors said the new charges relate to four additional alleged victims; earlier charges involved three alleged victims.

The brothers had already been wanted in the U.K. on rape and human trafficking charges. According to NBC News, Andrew Tate’s previous case included three counts of rape, four counts of actual bodily harm, two counts of human trafficking and one count of controlling prostitution for gain. Tristan Tate’s previous case included three counts of rape, six counts of actual bodily harm and two counts of human trafficking.

Their lawyers have previously said they denied the U.K. allegations. Joseph McBride, an attorney for the brothers, told NPR he had not been able to speak with his clients Saturday evening and called the new charges “filth and slander” intended to derail defamation lawsuits the brothers have filed in the United States.

“They’re pulling out all the stops to make sure these guys never get their day in court,” McBride said. “We are confident that once a competent judge sees the facts, and once the Department of Justice confronts this egregious abuse of its own authority, Andrew and Tristan Tate will walk free. America does not do Britain’s political dirty work.”

The Tate brothers, dual U.S. and British citizens and former professional kickboxers, moved to Romania in 2016. They were arrested there in 2022, accused of participating in schemes to lure women for sexual exploitation. They denied those allegations, and CBS News and NPR reported the case did not go forward because of legal and procedural irregularities.

Andrew Tate first gained wider attention as a contestant on the U.K. reality show “Big Brother” in 2016. The brothers later built large social media followings, particularly among young men and boys, with content promoting wealth, male dominance and misogyny. Andrew Tate has more than 10 million followers on X but has been banned from platforms including YouTube, TikTok and Instagram for violating hate speech guidelines, NPR reported.