Andrew and Tristan Tate arrested in Miami on UK charges of rape and sex trafficking

Andrew Tate, right, stands next to his brother Tristan. The brothers were arrested on Saturday on an extradition request from British authorities

The social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate have been arrested in Miami on UK charges by federal authorities, the US Marshals Service has said.

The brothers were arrested on Saturday on an extradition request from British authorities, according to a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to publicly discuss the case.

A Marshals Service spokesperson said the warrant was sealed.

A news release from the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Andrew Tate, 39, had been charged with seven further 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 for offences relating to indecent images of a child and extreme pornography.

Additional charges against Tristan Tate, 38, include one count of sexual assault, two counts of rape and three counts of arranging or facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation.

The charges stem from events that allegedly took place from July 2010 to August 2017, the CPS report said.

“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,” said Malcolm McHaffie, the head of the CPS’s special crime division.

“These 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.” Bedfordshire police said the total number of charges against the brothers was now 59, with 42 against Andrew Tate and 17 against Tristan Tate. Its officers were working closely with the CPS and national and international law enforcement agencies in the “complex investigation”, the assistant chief constable Karena Thomas said.

The brothers, proponents of hypermasculinity who have millions of followers on social media, have been wanted in the UK. They have previously denied any wrongdoing. After their arrest on Saturday, a lawyer who has represented the Tates said they were innocent and suggested they would seek to have a judge overturn their arrest.

The CPS had already charged the Tates with 21 criminal charges in a separate case, including rape, actual bodily harm and human trafficking.

Andrew Tate faces 10 charges from the original case including rape, actual bodily harm, human trafficking and controlling prostitution for gain. The charges are connected to three alleged victims. Tristan Tate faces 11 charges including rape, actual bodily harm and human trafficking, with the charges connected to one alleged victim.

A high court judge recently threw out the Tates’ legal claim to be told the names of their female accusers.

The two men were also charged in Romania with human trafficking, rape and forming an organized criminal group, after their arrest in December 2022.

- The Guardian