Florida launches investigation into Andrew and Tristan Tate

5 March 2025, 09:19 | Updated: 5 March 2025, 09:38

Officials in Florida have launched an investigation into controversial influencers and self-proclaimed "misogynists" Andrew and Tristan Tate.

The brothers, who have been charged with human trafficking in Romania, are now facing a criminal probe ordered by the state's attorney general.

The pair flew to the US last week after a travel ban on them was lifted - allegedly following pressure on the Romanian authorities from the Trump administration.

Now, Republican James Uthmeier, said investigators have issued search warrants and subpoenas as part of a "now-active" inquiry into the two.

The brothers, aged 38 and 36, also face a civil suit in the US from a woman alleging they coerced her into sex work, and then defamed her after she gave evidence to Romanian authorities.

They also face separate charges in the UK of rape and human trafficking - which they deny.

Uthmeier said in a statement: "Last week, I directed my office to work with our law enforcement partners to conduct a preliminary inquiry into Andrew and Tristan Tate.

"Based on a thorough review of the evidence, I've directed the Office of Statewide Prosecution to execute search warrants and issue subpoenas in the now-active criminal investigation into the Tate brothers."

Following this, the Tate brothers' lawyer Joseph McBride released a statement.

"Today, Attorney General James Uthmeier threw ethics law out of the window when he publicly took a side in an ongoing Florida lawsuit where Andrew and Tristan Tate are suing a Florida woman for orchestrating a sophisticated plot to use sex as a weapon to ruin their lives," the statement read in part.

He described the attorney general's comments "inflammatory" and "biased".

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Andrew Tate previously said he is "misunderstood" and criticised "media spin" in a statement after landing in the US last week.

Speaking to reporters outside Fort Lauderdale airport, Florida, alongside his brother, he said: "We live in a democratic society where it's innocent until proven guilty and I think my brother and I are largely misunderstood.

"There's a lot of opinions about us, a lot of things that go around about us on the internet.

"We've yet to be convicted of any crime in our lives ever, we have no criminal record anywhere on the planet, ever.

"Our case was dismissed on the 19th of December in Romania under the Biden administration, and our prosecutor recently decided, because we have no active indictment in court, to let us go and return.

"This is a democratic society.

"It's supposed to be innocent until proven guilty, as my brother and I are, and I think it's extremely important that we stop allowing media spin, wrap up smears, lies, or carefully constructed narratives from George Soros-funded operations trying to destroy the reputations of good people who have no intention to do anything other than follow the law."

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President Donald Trump has said he did not know anything about Andrew Tate and his brother arriving in the US.

Asked if his administration pressured the Romanian government to release them, he said: "I know nothing about that. I don't know, you're saying he's on a plane right now?

"I just know nothing about it. We'll check it out. We'll let you know."

Sir Keir Starmer said: "There's an English element here, so obviously it's important justice is done, and human trafficking is obviously, to my mind, a security risk. And so we'll catch up with the story."