MIAMI – Andrew and Tristan Tate, the influencer brothers whose online brand built around wealth, male dominance and misogynistic messaging has made them two of the internet’s most divisive figures, were arrested Saturday in Miami as British authorities pursue their extradition in connection with rape and sex trafficking allegations.
The U.S. Marshals Service took the brothers into custody on a sealed warrant, agency spokesperson Brady McCarron told The Associated Press, bringing the United States into a sprawling international legal fight that has already involved authorities in Romania and Britain.
British prosecutors said Saturday they are seeking to have the brothers extradited to face allegations that they raped and trafficked women between 2010 and 2017.
The Tates, who hold both U.S. and British citizenship, relocated to Romania in 2016. Romanian authorities arrested them in 2022 over accusations that they were involved in schemes to lure women for sexual exploitation. The brothers denied those claims, and the case did not proceed because of legal and procedural irregularities.
They are expected to appear in federal court in Miami early next week, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity because the law enforcement operation is sensitive.
The allegations pending in the United Kingdom center on claims that the brothers abused women in an area north of London, where they were raised. Their attorneys have previously said they deny the accusations.
Joseph McBride, a lawyer for the Tate brothers, said by phone Saturday evening that he had not yet been able to speak with his clients. He dismissed the latest U.K. allegations as “filth and slander,” arguing they were meant to interfere with 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
Andrew Tate, 39, first reached a mainstream audience as a contestant on the U.K. reality television show “Big Brother” in 2016. He was removed from the show when a video surfaced that appeared to show Tate assaulting a woman. He and his brother Tristan Tate, 38, are vocal supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Andrew Tate has amassed over 10 million followers on X but has been banned from platforms like YouTube, TikTok and Instagram for violating hate speech guidelines. His most widely condemned rhetoric includes comments that women who are sexually assaulted should bear some responsibility for their attacks, graphic descriptions of how he might attack women and criticisms of people who seek treatment for mental illness.
The Tate brothers have consistently denied allegations of abuse and human trafficking, claiming that violent and misogynistic statements have been taken out of context or were intended as jokes.
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AP writer Savannah Peters in Santa Fe, New Mexico contributed.
