Miami (AFP) – Florida’s attorney general said Tuesday that a criminal investigation has been opened into self-described misogynist influencer Andrew Tate and his brother, who flew to the southern US state last week from Romania, where they faced rape and human trafficking charges.
“These guys have publicly admitted to participating in what very much appears to be soliciting, trafficking, preying upon women around the world,” James Uthmeier said in comments posted online by a reporter with EW Scripps broadcasting. “This is an ongoing criminal investigation and we’re going to use every tool we have to ensure that justice is served,” he said.
Andrew Tate arrived in the United States on Thursday—the first time he has been out of Romania since his 2022 arrest. Prosecutors in the eastern European country allege that Tate, 38, his brother Tristan, 36, and two women set up a criminal organization in Romania and Britain in early 2021 and sexually exploited several victims.
Andrew Tate, speaking to reporters after arriving in Fort Lauderdale last week, said he and his brother have “yet to be convicted of any crime in our lives ever.” “We live in a democratic society where it’s innocent until proven guilty, and I think my brother and I are largely misunderstood,” he said.
The government in Bucharest said the Tates, who have British and US nationalities and have been under judicial supervision in Romania, need to return to court on March 24, with a no-show potentially leading to “preventive arrest.” Four British women, who have accused Tate of rape and coercive control in a separate civil case in the United Kingdom, recently voiced concern that the US government would help the Tates escape.
In a joint statement, the four British women said they “feel retraumatized by the news that the Romanian authorities have given in to pressure from the Trump administration to allow Andrew Tate to travel.” Romanian Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu has said Richard Grenell, special envoy for President Donald Trump, raised the case at the Munich Security Conference in February. Trump last week denied all knowledge of any advocacy for the Tates from his administration. “I know nothing about that,” Trump told reporters. “We’ll check it out.”
A Romanian court has granted a British request to extradite the Tates, but only after legal proceedings in Romania have concluded. Andrew Tate moved to Romania years ago after first starting a webcam business in the United Kingdom. He leapt to fame in 2016 when he appeared on the “Big Brother” UK reality television show but was removed after a video emerged showing him attacking a woman. He then turned to social media platforms to promote his often misogynistic and divisive views on how to be successful. Banned from Instagram and TikTok for his views, Tate is followed by more than 10 million people on X, where his posts are often homophobic and racist.
© 2024 AFP
