Influencer brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate, who are charged with human trafficking in Romania, arrived Thursday in the U.S. after authorities lifted travel restrictions on the siblings, who have millions of online followers. The brothers landed in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. around midday, the Associated Press reports. The Tates — who are dual U.S.-British citizens — were arrested in late 2022 and formally indicted last year on charges they participated in a criminal ring that lured women to Romania, where they were sexually exploited. Andrew Tate was also charged with rape. They deny the allegations. In December, a court ruled that the case could not go to trial because of multiple legal and procedural irregularities on the part of prosecutors. The case, however, remained open, and there is also another ongoing investigation against them in Romania.
Romania’s anti-organized crime agency, DIICOT, said prosecutors approved a request to change the Tates' travel restrictions, but it did not say who made the request. The brothers are still required to appear before judicial authorities when summoned. “The defendants have been warned that deliberately violating these obligations may result in judicial control being replaced with a stricter deprivation-of-liberty measure,” the agency said. After the brothers arrived in Florida, state Attorney General James Uthmeier said in a social media post that his office would conduct a “preliminary inquiry” into them. “Florida has zero tolerance for human trafficking and violence against women. If any of these alleged crimes trigger Florida jurisdiction, we will hold them accountable,” said Uthmeier, an appointee of Gov. Ron DeSantis. Speaking to reporters at the airport, Andrew Tate repeated his insistence that the siblings had done nothing wrong. “We live in a democratic society where it’s innocent until proven guilty. And I think my brother and I are largely misunderstood. There’s a lot of opinions about us, things that go around about us on the internet,” he said.
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