Tate brothers arrested in Miami amid new rape charges
Social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate were taken into custody by federal law enforcement officials in Miami on Saturday, the U.S. Marshals Service said, in what British authorities said was related to additional charges of rape, reports BritPanorama.
“We can confirm the arrest of the Tate brothers today in Miami,” it stated. “The warrant was sealed so we are unable to confirm the charges.”
The U.K.’s Crown Prosecution Service indicated that Andrew, 39, and Tristan, 38, are facing new charges of rape linked to ongoing cases against them in the U.K. The agency confirmed that the brothers are awaiting extradition to the U.K.
According to the service, Andrew Tate now faces seven additional counts of rape, three counts of arranging or facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation, three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and 19 charges connected to illegal child images and pornography.
Meanwhile, Tristan Tate is charged with one count of sexual assault, two counts of rape, and three counts of arranging or facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation. The allegations span offenses from July 2010 to August 2017.
Malcolm McHaffie, head of the Special Crime Division at the Crown Prosecution Service, stated that the new charges followed the agency receiving a new file of evidence from Bedfordshire Police. These charges involve four additional alleged victims, while previous allegations were associated with three alleged victims.
Previously, the case against Tristan included three counts of rape, six counts of actual bodily harm, and two counts of human trafficking. Andrew Tate’s earlier charges consisted of three counts of rape, four counts of actual bodily harm, two counts of human trafficking, and one count of controlling prostitution for gain.
The brothers, former kickboxers, are often linked to the “manosphere,” a social media movement that critiques feminism and promotes traditional male roles, prompting accusations of toxic masculinity and misogyny.
Having moved to Romania in 2016, the dual U.S. and British citizens returned to the United States last year amid a criminal investigation there.