Social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate must remain in custody as they fight extradition to the United Kingdom. There, the Tate brothers are accused of rape and sex trafficking. A federal judge gave this ruling in Miami on Wednesday (September 9), per AP.
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Details From The Court Hearing For Tate Brothers
U.S. Magistrate Lauren Louis denied a defense motion for release. This means the Tate brothers will remain jailed during what could be a months-long extradition process. Tristan and Andrew Tate failed to demonstrate that they do not present a flight risk or danger to the community or that special circumstances warrant their release, Louis said in her ruling.
“Having failed to meet these three factors, Respondents’ Motion for Release Pending Extradition Proceedings is DENIED,” she said in the ruling.
Prosecutors say the brothers are a flight risk because they appear to have money and have bragged about multiple passports.
Andrew & Tristan Tate’s Lawyer Call Out Judge’s Ruling
Meanwhile, the Tates’ legal team said in a statement that the decision to keep them in custody creates a legal contradiction. The brothers are being detained in the United States due to a British extradition request. But they’re also being required to defend themselves against charges in Romania, the statement said.
“They are now facing an extraordinary situation in which they are being held thousands of miles from Romania while Romanian proceedings continue, deadlines approach, an additional indictment is said to be imminent and their own Romanian lawyer says he cannot properly prepare,” the lawyers said.
“No serious person can pretend that this can be reviewed properly through occasional conversations from a federal detention center in another country,” the lawyers added.
The attorneys said they are considering whether to appeal the judge’s decision.
Tate Brothers Facing Charges In Multiple Countries
During a hearing last month in Miami, the Tate brothers denied criminal accusations spanning several countries. Also, they blasted their critics and described their brash online personas as characters and not their true personalities.
For context, Andrew and Tristan built up their social media empire based on promotion of wealth, male dominance and misogyny. Earlier this month, though, the Tates said they exaggerate their claims of wealth to boost their clout on social media.
The new allegations are the latest in the Tates’ long-running international legal saga, which spans the U.S., Britain and Romania. They have been in the Federal Detention Center in Miami since making a brief court appearance two days after their July 18 arrest.
Lawyers for the Tates asked the judge to allow them to be freed from custody at least until an extradition hearing can be held on their U.K. rape and trafficking charges. They have repeatedly argued that Britain’s request is out of line because their criminal case in Romania is going first.
Romanian officials have let the brothers remain free until the proceedings conclude. So far, the Tate brothers have not tried to flee and are complying with all court restrictions. Earlier this month, Romanian prosecutors indicted the brothers on additional charges.
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Associated Press writer David Fischer contributed to this report via AP Newsroom.
