Key Points
- The Tate brothers arrived in Florida after their Romania travel ban was lifted.
- The Tates are charged in Romania with human trafficking, rape and other offences.
- Florida governor Ron DeSantis said the brothers are not welcome in the state.
This article contains references to rape and sexual assault.
Controversial internet figures Andrew and Tristan Tate, who face criminal charges in Romania, have left the country and arrived in Fort Lauderdale, Florida after a travel ban against them was lifted.
The brothers, who hold dual US-British citizenship, are charged in Romania with human trafficking, forming an organised criminal gang to exploit women, and, in Andrew Tate’s case, rape.
They are also under investigation for additional offences, including the trafficking of minors, sexual intercourse with a minor, influencing statements and money laundering. They have denied all allegations.
Legal battle in Romania
The Tates were first arrested in late 2022 near Bucharest and formally indicted in 2024. While a Romanian court ruled in April that a trial could proceed, it did not set a date.
The brothers had been banned from leaving Romania since late 2023, though a court briefly lifted the restriction in July 2024 before an appeals court reinstated it.
Last December, a Romanian court ruled that legal and procedural errors in the case prevented it from going to trial, but the case was not dismissed. A second investigation, launched in August 2024, remains active.
Andrew Tate was arrested along with his brother and two women in 2022. Source: AAP, EPA / Robert Ghement
Despite these legal challenges, Romania’s anti-organised crime agency, DIICOT, recently approved a request to modify the travel ban, allowing the brothers to leave the country. However, judicial control measures remain in place, requiring them to appear before authorities when summoned.
Their departure follows reports that a US official in Donald Trump’s administration had expressed interest in their case at the Munich Security Conference. Romania’s foreign minister insisted this did not amount to political pressure.
Arrival in Florida and US reactions
After landing in Florida, Andrew Tate told reporters, “we have no criminal record anywhere on the planet, ever”, and insisted he and his brother were victims of false allegations. He did not explain why they had come to Florida or whether Trump had any involvement in lifting their travel ban.
Trump himself stated he knew nothing about the case.
Florida’s Republican governor Ron DeSantis made it clear he was not welcoming the brothers. He told reporters Florida was “not a place where you’re welcome with that type of conduct” and said the state’s attorney-general was reviewing what legal jurisdiction Florida might have over them.
Other legal troubles
The Tates’ legal problems extend beyond Romania. In late 2024, a UK court ruled that authorities could seize more than £2.6 million ($5.2 million) from them due to unpaid taxes.
Additionally, in March 2024, Romania’s courts approved a UK extradition request for the brothers over allegations of sexual aggression dating back to 2012-2015, though this would only take effect after their legal proceedings in Romania conclude.
Andrew Tate, a former kickboxer, gained millions of online followers by promoting an ultra-masculine lifestyle often criticised as misogynistic. He has been banned from multiple social media platforms for hate speech, though X reinstated his account under Elon Musk.
Andrew Tate’s content has included instructions encouraging men to physically assault women, with statements such as, “It’s bang out the machete, boom in her face”.
Despite his insistence that he is being silenced by a political conspiracy, his legal troubles continue to mount, with investigations now spanning multiple countries.
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