Florida Launches Criminal Probe Into Andrew Tate After Return From Romania

The US state of Florida said it has launched a criminal investigation of controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate and his brother just days after they arrived from Romania, where they have been embroiled in a legal case alleging human trafficking and sexual misconduct.

State Attorney General James Uthmeier said in a post on X late on March 4 that he had "directed the Office of Statewide Prosecution to execute search warrants and issue subpoenas in the now-active criminal investigation into the Tate brothers" after a preliminary inquiry into their activities.

"Florida has zero tolerance for people who abuse women and girls. We will not allow it," he added.

The brothers touched down at Fort Lauderdale airport in a private jet on February 27 after a travel ban against the dual British-U.S. citizens, who are suspects in a criminal case in Romania, was lifted.

NGOs and some of those involved in the cases expressed outrage over the removal of the travel ban, casting doubt over whether the brothers, who attracted millions of fans online through their promotion of an ultra-masculine lifestyle that detractors say belittles women, would return to Romania around the end of March when their next court hearing is expected.

After the two landed in Florida, Uthmeier said his office would launch a preliminary inquiry into the brothers' situation and if "any of these alleged crimes trigger Florida jurisdiction, we will hold them accountable."

The pair face a separate criminal probe in the United Kingdom, and US media reported on March 4 that a 23-year-old American woman had filed a civil lawsuit against them in Florida accusing them of trying to coerce her into prostitution in Romania and defaming her after she testified against them before Romanian authorities.

The brothers have vehemently denied all allegations against them and have launched a countersuit against the woman.

Andrew Tate, 38, has amassed more than 10 million followers on the social media platform X but has been banned from TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook for hate speech and misogynistic comments, including saying that women should bear responsibility if they are sexually assaulted.

Romania's anti-organized crime prosecuting unit DIICOT gave no details on the reasoning behind dropping the travel ban but it came after Romanian Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu said the case had been brought up by Richard Grenell, US President Donald Trump's special envoy, earlier this month.

Both Hurezeanu and Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu have said, however, that there was no pressure from US officials to release the brothers.

Officials and prosecutors said that, while the Tate brothers were free to travel, "all of the other obligations have been maintained, including the requirement to check in with judicial authorities every time they are called."

Andrew Tate said in a brief statement at the airport that the charges against him and his brother were a conspiracy and that "we have no criminal record anywhere on the planet, ever."

Reporters at the airport shouted questions about why the brothers chose to come to Florida and whether Trump had been involved in their case, but neither commented.

Speaking at the White House, Trump said he knew nothing about the case.

What Are The Charges Against Andrew Tate?

DIICOT filed charges against Tate, his brother, Tristan Tate, and two Romanian women after they were arrested in December 2022 on suspicion of human trafficking.

The four suspects were formally indicted last year, and the Bucharest Tribunal ruled last year that a trial could start but did not set a date. All four deny the charges.

However, the Bucharest Court of Appeals said on December 19 that it found "irregularities" in the indictment issued by the Prosecutor-General's Office and sent the case back to prosecutors.

The court said prosecutors can now bring forth new evidence to back up their charges or amend the existing ones.

Andrew Tate has complained bitterly about the case, accusing prosecutors of trying to "target everyone I know, and even subpoena the mother of my child," while still having "nothing."

In August Andrew Tate was placed under house arrest and Tristan Tate under judicial control for 30 days after they were interrogated by Romanian anti-corruption prosecutors as part of an investigation into new allegations against them.

During the criminal investigation, prosecutors said they identified seven women who were sexually exploited "forcibly, in order to obtain significant financial benefits" for the defendants from people who accessed content on social media.

Prosecutors accused the Tate brothers of recruiting their victims using the so-called lover boy method of seducing them and claiming to want a relationship or marriage.

The victims were then taken to properties outside Bucharest, where they were sexually exploited through physical violence and psychological intimidation as they were forced to produce pornographic content, the prosecutors said.

Romanian investigators carried out the interrogations and fresh searches at the brothers' residences as part of the investigation into the new charges.

DIICOT said at the time that the new accusations included charges of forming an organized crime group, trafficking of minors, a sexual act with a minor, influencing statements, and money laundering.

They had been barred from leaving Romania as the proceedings against them continued but were set to be extradited to Britain once their case in Romania concludes.

They face further allegations of rape and human trafficking in Britain, where a court ruled on December 18 that police can seize more than 2.6 million pounds ($3.3 million) to cover years of unpaid taxes.

Also on February 18, four British women who allege they were victims of sexual violence by Andrew Tate and filed a civil suit against him urged the United States not to intervene in legal proceedings, saying, "We hope that the Romanian and the U.K. authorities will be left alone to do their jobs."

"We are in disbelief and traumatized by the news [of Tate leaving Romania]," the women said in a statement -- obtained by RFE/RL's Romanian Service -- through their law firm, McCue Jury & Partners.

"We can only hope that the British authorities finally take action and do something about this terrifying unfolding situation to ensure he faces justice in the U.K."

In an open letter to DIICOT, the VIF Network, an NGO dedicated to preventing and combating violence against women, demanded the publication of reasons that the travel ban was lifted "so that any doubt about the independence and impartiality of the Romanian judicial system is removed."

VIF added that it feared the removal of the travel ban could "undermine the trust in the judicial system of victims of crimes of sexual violence and human trafficking."

The Tate brothers have stated previously that they did not want to be extradited from Romania, which they said they consider their home.