By Luc Cohen
Sept 9 (Reuters) – Social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate lost their bid for release from a Miami jail on Wednesday as they contest extradition to Britain, where they are wanted on rape charges.
In denying bail for the Tate brothers, Miami-based U.S. Magistrate Judge Lauren Louis said the brothers’ wealth and frequent international travel made them “quintessential flight risks.”
“While (the brothers) may not in fact possess what extravagant holdings they portray themselves as possessing online, the record reflects that they possess an exceptional capacity to flee the jurisdiction,” Louis wrote.
The Tate brothers’ U.S.-based lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In court filings, their lawyers had argued their “extraordinary public visibility” would make it impractical for them to flee, and described social media posts in which the brothers touted their wealth as “theatrical” and “grandiose.”
Andrew Tate, 39, and Tristan Tate, 38, were arrested in Miami on July 18 after Britain requested their extradition to face charges of rape, assault and facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation. The Tate brothers, who have dual U.S. and British citizenship, have denied any wrongdoing.
The arrests marked a new phase in the legal troubles for the former kickboxers, who have built a large online following promoting their views on masculinity and wealth. Andrew Tate has previously described himself as a misogynist.
TATES SAY THEY PLAY CHARACTERS ONLINE
Prosecutors with the Miami U.S. Attorney’s office argued there was a strong presumption in favor of detention in international extradition cases. They said the brothers could pose a danger to the public if released, citing British allegations that they strangled victims during forcible rapes.
The Tates recruited dozens of women to work for a webcam pornography business starting in 2014, and later ran online courses called “Hustler’s University,” prosecutors said in an August 10 court filing.
At an August 27 hearing in Miami federal court, prosecutors showed the court a video of Andrew Tate saying “slap, slap, grab, choke, shut up bitch, sex.”
At the hearing, both Tate brothers testified they were playing characters online when they made crude remarks.
Louis wrote on Wednesday that the nature of the allegations against the Tates indicated they posed dangers to the community.
The brothers have also been under investigation on charges including human trafficking since 2022 in Romania, where they were mainly based since 2017.
Romanian prosecutors officially indicted Andrew Tate on Friday on charges of trafficking minors, money laundering, sex with a minor and witness tampering. Tristan Tate was indicted for complicity. A Romanian lawyer for the Tates said they rejected the allegations.
BRITISH CHARGES SPAN SEVEN YEARS
The legal process for determining whether the Tate brothers may be extradited to Britain could take months. Britain has until September 16 to submit its full extradition request to the State Department, U.S. court records show.
The impetus for the brothers’ arrests in Miami was new charges brought by Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service relating to alleged offenses involving four alleged victims between July 2010 and August 2017.
They had previously faced rape and human trafficking charges in Britain related to three alleged victims, the CPS said. A British judge issued a warrant for their arrests in 2024. They have not appeared in British court to enter a plea to those charges.
Britain is seeking to extradite the brothers to face both sets of charges.
(Reporting by Luc Cohen in MiamiEditing by Rod Nickel)
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