Florida has launched a criminal investigation into influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate,just days after they arrived in the US from Romania.
The state’s governor Ron DeSantis said the brothers were not welcome and he would be directing the attorney general to examine their alleged crimes.
James Uthmeier, Florida attorney general, said its work was “active” into holding a preliminary inquiry into the Tate brothers.
“Based on a thorough review of the evidence, I’ve directed the Office Of Statewide Prosecution to execute search warrants and issue subpoenas in the now-active criminal investigation into the Tate brothers,” he said.
Andrew Tate responded, claiming US authorities are “trying to find crimes on an innocent man”.
The Tate brothers are fighting a series of legal battles in Romania, the UK and the US and deny all the allegations against them. They arrived in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on a private jet on Feb. 27 after leaving Romania.
The Tates are facing charges in Romania of human trafficking, sexual misconduct and money laundering, and of creating an organized crime group.
UK police and pursuing separate allegations of rape and human trafficking.
A recent lawsuit filed in Florida accuses both Tate brothers of conspiring to coerce a woman into sex work, luring her to Romania and defaming her after her testimony to Romanian authorities. They sued her for defamation in 2023.
The Tates were arrested in December 2022 in Bucharest and formally indicted last year in Romania on charges they participated in a criminal ring that lured women to the country, where they were sexually exploited.
The self-styled misogynists are dual UK and US nationals whose divisive views are shared widely on social media platforms such as TikTok and X.
They arrived in Florida came after the members of the Trump administration reportedly lobbied their Romanian counterparts to ease restrictions on the brothers while they face charges. Trump has denied any knowledge of the case.
