State officials have launched a criminal investigation into a controversial influencer after being accused of human trafficking.
The Florida Attorney General announced Tuesday that criminal investigations have been launched against social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate, who were charged with trafficking in Romania.
Florida Attorney General James Usmieyer said he had instructed his office to work with law enforcement to conduct a preliminary investigation with the Tate Brothers.
Uthmeier said the state will use “to hold all tools within our legal authority accountable” and conduct the investigation with “the full power of the law.”
Andrew Tate, 38, and his brother Tristan, 36, were arrested in late 2022 and joined a crime ring that attracted women to a country where women were officially indicted in Romania last year, where they were sexually exploited. Andrew Tate faces additional rape fees. Both deny allegations against them.
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He arrived in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on February 27 after Romanian prosecutor lifted a two-year travel ban and allowed him to return to the United States.
“Florida is not a welcome place for that kind of conduct,” DeSantis said, adding that the state was not involved in Tates’ arrival and was notified.
“Andrew & Tristantate are American citizens. They are also plaintiffs and victims of a very public defamatory lawsuit filed in Palm Beach Court,” McBride said.
“We live in a democratic society that is innocent until proven guilty,” he said. “There’s a lot of opinions about us. Sometimes we go around us on the internet.”
Andrew Tate, a former professional kickboxer with over 10 million followers on social media platform X and a self-proclaimed misogynist, has repeatedly argued that Romanian prosecutors lack evidence against him and are claiming political conspiracy to silence him.
Their trip to the United States follows a December court ruling that cites legal and procedural misconduct and prevents their case from going to trial.
However, the accusations against them remain active, with another investigation underway in Romania.
In the UK, four women are also pursuing a civil lawsuit against Andrew Tate, alleging sexual violence and physical abuse. In a joint statement on February 27, the woman said she “feels distrust and feels re-ordered” by the news of the lifting of the travel ban.
Tates is also facing the possibility of extradition to the UK after appearing in court in Bucharest in March 2024 for alleged sexual assault in another case between 2012 and 2015. The court said that once legal proceedings in Romania are over, the brothers can be handed over to the UK.
Late last year, a UK court allowed authorities to seize £2.6 million ($3.3 million) from their brothers to cover unpaid taxes and freeze some of their accounts.
Andrew Tate called the action “complete theft” and “a coordinated attack on anyone who dares to challenge the system.”
Rudy Blalock and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
