Florida’s attorney general on Tuesday opened a criminal investigation into Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan Tate, the British American online influencers who face human-trafficking charges in Romania and Britain, after they arrived in the state last week.
Attorney General James Uthmeier of Florida said in a statement on Tuesday that he had directed his office “to work with our law enforcement partners to conduct a preliminary inquiry into Andrew and Tristan Tate.”
Mr. Uthmeier said in an exchange with a reporter posted to X that his office had “secured and executed subpoenas and warrants” in the criminal investigation into the Tate brothers.
The brothers, who have millions of followers on social media and are known for their misogynistic views and excessive displays of wealth, had been barred from leaving Romania for more than two years after they were arrested there in 2022 on accusations of luring women to the country and sexually exploiting them.
But last week, the two brothers arrived in Florida after the travel restrictions were lifted.
In a separate investigation, British authorities have also sought the Tates’ arrest over criminal accusations of rape and human trafficking. Four British women who sued Andrew Tate have urged the British government to request the extradition of the brothers.
Florida officials have said that the brothers, who arrived at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in a private jet last Thursday morning, are not welcome in the state.
“Florida is not a place where you’re welcome with that type of conduct,” Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters last week. Mr. DeSantis added that he had not known about the Tates’ arrival in his state, but found out through the media. “I don’t know how it came to this,” he said. “We were not involved, we were not notified.”
Mr. Uthmeier, the attorney general, said he would use the “full force of law” against the brothers.
“These guys have themselves publicly admitted to participating in what very much appears to be soliciting, trafficking, preying upon women around the world,” Mr. Uthmeier told a reporter who posted the exchange on social media. “This type of behavior is viewed as atrocious, we’re not going to accept it.”
Joseph McBride, the Tate brothers’ lawyer, maintained the siblings’ innocence in a scathing statement filled with vulgarities that vilified Mr. DeSantis and Mr. Uthmeier on Tuesday. Mr. McBride called the notion that the brothers committed a crime in Florida “complete nonsense.”
“What are Andrew and Tristan Tate guilty of? I’ll tell you. They are guilty of wielding massive influence over young men,” Mr. McBride said. “They are guilty of posting mean tweets.”
Andrew Tate posted on X on Tuesday expressing his “disappointment” to his more than 10 million followers on the platform. “Absolute communism. I’ve been in America for 5 days. I sat on my laptop and did a podcast,” he wrote. “Insanity. I am super disappointed in the United States.”
Romanian prosecutors said in a news release that they were still pursuing criminal investigations against two British American citizens. They did not name the people, but said they had been allowed to leave Romania and had to “appear before judicial authorities whenever summoned.”
The brothers are known for promoting an antagonistic, anti-feminist brand of masculinity and have denied all of the accusations against them, arguing that their wealth and outspokenness have made them targets.
Alan Feuer contributed reporting.
