MIAMI — Attorneys for social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate will meet with federal prosecutors in Miami on Monday to work out a schedule for the potentially monthslong process of fighting extradition to the United Kingdom, where the brothers are accused of rape and sex trafficking. A date for a bond hearing will likely be set during the status conference, along with other important dates like deadlines for filings and a formal extradition hearing. The Tates made a brief court appearance two days after their July 18 arrest. They aren’t required to attend Monday’s conference, and their attorneys said Friday that the Tates didn’t plan to be there. They’re being held in federal detention across the street from the courthouse. The Tates promote wealth, male dominance and misogyny through their social media empire and are among the world’s most polarizing internet personalities. The former professional kickboxers, who have dual U.S. and U.K. citizenship, have millions of social media followers and are vocal supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump. The White House has said the brothers shouldn’t expect any help from the president. Asked Thursday whether the White House would intervene in the extradition process, press secretary Karoline Leavitt flatly rejected the idea. “No, we’ve already answered that question,” Leavitt said. The Tates’ attorney, Joseph McBride, said after last week’s hearing that they should remain in the U.S. “We are of course objecting to extradition because Andrew and Tristan are innocent,” McBride said. “They’ve never done nothing wrong. They shouldn’t be extradited for crimes they did not commit.” McBride said the extradition attempt is politically motivated and suggested the case involved former British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s decision to step down, though he provided no details. Prosecutors in Britain said the new charges relate to four new accusers and were brought after authorities received evidence from police in Bedfordshire, in southeastern England. The allegations, which span from 2010 to 2017, include rape, assault, trafficking and offences relating to “indecent images of a child and extreme pornography.” McBride said none of the latest accusers have been identified. The brothers are already charged with rape, bodily harm, human trafficking and controlling prostitution for gain relating to three other accusers in the U.K. between 2012 and 2015. The new allegations are the latest in a long-running international legal saga involving the Tates that has spanned the U.S., Britain and Romania. The brothers have repeatedly denied wrongdoing. The brothers moved to Romania in 2016 and were arrested there in 2022, accused of participating in schemes to lure women for sexual exploitation. They denied those allegations, and the Romanian case hasn’t gone forward because of legal and procedural problems. Travel restrictions were lifted last year, and they flew to Florida. Andrew Tate, 39, became known a decade ago when he was a contestant on the U.K. reality television show “Big Brother.” He was booted from the show when a video appeared to show him assaulting a woman. He has amassed over 10 million followers on X but has been banned from other platforms, including YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, for violating hate speech guidelines. He has made widely condemned comments, such as saying women who are sexually assaulted should bear some responsibility for the attacks and sharing graphic descriptions of how he might attack women. The Tate brothers have consistently denied allegations of abuse and human trafficking, claiming their violent and misogynistic statements have been taken out of context or were intended as jokes. David Fischer, The Associated Press
