Andrew, Tristan Tate under criminal probe in US state of Florida

Authorities in the United States have begun an investigation into controversial social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate.

The attorney general for the state of Florida, James Uthmeier, stated on Tuesday that he had instructed his office to work with our partners in conducting a preliminary investigation into the brothers.

The Tate brothers are charged in Romania with operating a criminal ring that allegedly lured women to the country for sexual exploitation after Romanian authorities lifted a travel ban against them on February 27.

According to Uthmeier, “I’ve directed the Office of Statewide Prosecution to carry out search warrants and issue subpoenas in the currently active criminal investigation into the Tate brothers” after conducting a thorough review of the evidence.

The Tates, who are dual US citizens, have a large following of mostly young, male social media users who are drawn to their lavish lifestyle, hyper-masculine image, and misogynist rhetoric.

For their remarks that women should be held accountable for sexual assault, the brothers have been banned from a number of platforms.

The Tate brothers were detained in Romania in late 2022, and they were formally indicted last year along with two other Romanian women on sex trafficking charges. Additionally, Andrew Tate is accused of rape.

British authorities have also requested the brothers’ arrest on suspicion of rape and human trafficking in a separate investigation.

The Tate brothers refute all claims made against them.

While conducting an investigation into the case, Romanian authorities had placed the Tates under a travel ban.

However, Romanian prosecutors announced on Thursday that their US passports had been returned and that the travel ban had been lifted.

Their return to the US last week on a private jet came as a result of accusations that White House officials lobbied Romanian authorities to free the Tates, who have long been fervent supporters of US President Donald Trump.

At the Munich Security Conference last month, the brothers were discussed, according to the Romanian minister of foreign affairs, Emil Hurezeanu, who had a brief meeting with Trump’s special representative Richard Grenell.

Romanian Justice Minister Radu Marinescu has refuted US pressure on their release.

Republican Governor Ron DeSantis declared the brothers were unwelcome in the state when they arrived in Florida last week.

He told reporters, “Florida is not a place where you’re welcome with that kind of conduct.”

DeSantis called on the attorney general to investigate whether state authorities may have any jurisdiction over any of their alleged crimes, noting that “we were not involved in this, we were not notified.”

DeSantis responded by accusing Andrew Tate, 38, of abusing media pressure, and claiming he had the right to travel to the country of his birthright.