Florida’s lawyer normal on Tuesday opened a legal investigation into Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan Tate, the British American on-line influencers who face human-trafficking costs in Romania and Britain, after they arrived within the state final week.
Lawyer Normal James Uthmeier of Florida mentioned in an announcement on Tuesday that he had directed his workplace “to work with our regulation enforcement companions to conduct a preliminary inquiry into Andrew and Tristan Tate.”
Mr. Uthmeier mentioned in an alternate with a reporter posted to X that his workplace had “secured and executed subpoenas and warrants” within the legal investigation into the Tate brothers.
The brothers, who’ve thousands and thousands of followers on social media and are recognized for his or her misogynistic views and extreme shows of wealth, had been barred from leaving Romania for greater than two years after they have been arrested there in 2022 on accusations of luring girls to the nation and sexually exploiting them.
However final week, the 2 brothers arrived in Florida after the journey restrictions have been lifted.
In a separate investigation, British authorities have additionally sought the Tates’ arrest over legal accusations of rape and human trafficking. 4 British girls who sued Andrew Tate have urged the British authorities to request the extradition of the brothers.
Florida officers have mentioned that the brothers, who arrived at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Worldwide Airport in a personal jet final Thursday morning, should not welcome within the state.
“Florida is just not a spot the place you’re welcome with that sort of conduct,” Gov. Ron DeSantis advised reporters final week. Mr. DeSantis added that he had not recognized concerning the Tates’ arrival in his state, however discovered by way of the media. “I don’t know the way it got here to this,” he mentioned. “We weren’t concerned, we weren’t notified.”
Mr. Uthmeier, the lawyer normal, mentioned he would use the “full drive of regulation” towards the brothers.
“These guys have themselves publicly admitted to taking part in what very a lot seems to be soliciting, trafficking, preying upon girls around the globe,” Mr. Uthmeier advised a reporter who posted the alternate on social media. “This kind of conduct is considered as atrocious, we’re not going to simply accept it.”
Joseph McBride, the Tate brothers’ lawyer, maintained the siblings’ innocence in a scathing assertion stuffed with vulgarities that vilified Mr. DeSantis and Mr. Uthmeier on Tuesday. Mr. McBride referred to as the notion that the brothers dedicated a criminal offense in Florida “full nonsense.”
“What are Andrew and Tristan Tate responsible of? I’ll inform you. They’re responsible of wielding huge affect over younger males,” Mr. McBride mentioned. “They’re responsible of posting imply tweets.”
Andrew Tate posted on X on Tuesday expressing his “disappointment” to his greater than 10 million followers on the platform. “Absolute communism. I’ve been in America for five days. I sat on my laptop computer and did a podcast,” he wrote. “Madness. I’m tremendous dissatisfied in the US.”
Romanian prosecutors mentioned in a information launch that they have been nonetheless pursuing legal investigations towards two British Americans. They didn’t title the individuals, however mentioned that they had been allowed to go away Romania and needed to “seem earlier than judicial authorities at any time when summoned.”
The brothers are recognized for selling an antagonistic, anti-feminist model of masculinity and have denied the entire accusations towards them, arguing that their wealth and outspokenness have made them targets.
Alan Feuer contributed reporting.
