British-American influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan said on Friday they are flying back to Romania, where they face human trafficking and other charges.
“Spending $185,000 (£143,000) on a private jet across the Atlantic to sign one single piece of paper in Romania,” Andrew Tate posted to his 10.8 million followers on X. “Innocent men don’t run. They clear their name in court.”
The BBC understands the brothers will appear in court for a hearing on Monday. They strongly deny the allegations against them.
The brothers, who are dual US-UK citizens, arrived in the US at the end of February after Romanian prosecutors lifted a two-year travel ban.
Andrew Tate, 38, is a self-proclaimed “misogynist” who claims to have made millions from social media despite being previously banned from platforms for his views.
He and his brother Tristan, 36, are accused of human trafficking and forming an organised group to sexually exploit women in Romania. Andrew Tate is also accused of rape.
The brothers are also the subjects of a separate investigation in the UK into allegations of rape and human trafficking.
In the US they 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.
Romanian prosecutors stressed the case against the brothers had not been dropped and that they remain “under judicial control” – meaning they have to regularly report to authorities and are expected to return to Romania.
However, their exit sparked concerns that prosecutors felt political pressure from US President Donald Trump’s administration. The US president said he knew nothing about the Tate brothers being released from Romania.
The Tates have a large US following and are popular figures among some elements of the American right.
Earlier in February, some of Andrew Tate’s alleged victims said they were “extremely concerned” by reports that US officials had asked for his travel restrictions to be relaxed.
Andrew Tate was put under house arrest in Romania in August 2024 when prosecutors launched a second criminal investigation against himself and his brother Tristan, as well as four other suspects. They all deny wrongdoing.
Separately, the brothers are wanted in the UK to face allegations of sexual assault, which they also deny.
The brothers have also been accused of tax evasion in the UK. A British court ruled in December 2024 that police could seize more than £2m ($2.4m) from them for failing to pay tax on £21m in revenue from their online businesses.
Andrew Tate said the ruling was “not justice” and called it a “co-ordinated attack”.
By BBC News
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