Controversial influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan have appeared in a federal courtroom in Miami, marking the beginning of extradition proceedings to the UK over a slate of new charges that includes rape and sex trafficking. Speaking outside the court after the hearing, a lawyer for the brothers said they would fight extradition.
The Tates have been held in a Florida jail since their arrest on Saturday, after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which prosecutes criminal cases in England and Wales, announced 38 new charges against them.
The Tate brothers, who arrived in Florida in 2025 after departing Romania where they face similar charges, have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
In court on Monday, the pair wore light brown prison uniforms and were handcuffed and shackled at the waist and ankles.
They spoke only when asked if they understood their rights to which they replied together “yes your honour”.
The brothers’ attorney, Joe McBride, told reporters after the brief hearing that his clients are innocent.
“They’ve never done nothing wrong. They shouldn’t be extradited for crimes they didn’t commit,” McBride said.
“It’s garbage. It’s a stitch up job,” he added.
He compared the charges against the men to the legal proceedings against US President Donald Trump – which he called a “witch hunt” – and referred to the attempted extradition as “political kidnapping”.
When asked how long the extradition proceedings would take, McBride estimated ahead of the hearing that it would be “around 60 days”.
The judge set the brothers’ next court hearing for 27 July, according to AP News.
Any final decision on extradition would ultimately have to be made by the Trump administration.
The latest allegations against the men were said to have occurred between July 2010 and August 2017.
Malcolm McHaffie, Head of the Special Crime Division at the CPS, said the charges “followed receipt of a further file of evidence from Bedfordshire Police” that brings the total number of alleged victims in this case to seven.
The brothers now face a total of 59 charges, police said. They were arrested on Saturday nearby a venue where Andrew Tate was due to co-host a bare-knuckle fighting event.
They also face charges in Romania, accused of human trafficking and forming an organised group to sexually exploit women. Andrew Tate has also been accused of rape in that case. They deny those allegations.
The pair, dual British-US citizens, have been in the US since 2025, after Romanian prosecutors lifted a travel ban against them. The two are still required to check in with Romanian authorities as the case winds through procedural hurdles.
In the US they also face a civil case from a woman who alleges the brothers coerced her into sex work, and then defamed her after she gave evidence to Romanian authorities.
Andrew Tate is a self-proclaimed “misogynist” who reached viral acclaim on social media platforms for his portrayals of extreme wealth and hyper-masculinity.
He was banned from social media after making controversial remarks about women needing to “bear responsibility” for being sexually assaulted but was later reinstated.
By BBC News
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