MIAMI — Defense lawyers for social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate argued Thursday if Romania is OK with them being out of jail as they challenge sex charges, then the U.S. should free them too as they fight extradition to the United Kingdom.
The brothers have remained in a federal detention center in Miami since they were arrested July 18 on rape and sex trafficking charges from the U.K. Their attorneys have argued that their high profile and active social media presence make it nearly impossible for them to flee.
The Tates have become among the world’s most polarizing internet personalities by promoting wealth, male dominance and misogyny through their social media empire.
Defense lawyers said the brothers have followed court rules
On his way into court Thursday, defense attorney Joseph McBride told reporters he hasn’t heard of a case where U.S. Magistrate Lauren Louis has allowed someone out on bail while awaiting an extradition hearing. But while the odds aren’t in their favor, McBride felt like the truth was.
“They have never run away from the law. They have leaned into the court process everywhere they go. They are innocent men. They are free men. They are good men,” McBride said.
No date for an extradition hearing has been set. The U.K. has until mid-September to provide evidence to the State Department.
Prosecutors say Tates claim to have multiple passports and plenty of money
Federal prosecutors want to keep the brothers in custody, citing the strong presumption against bail in international extradition cases. The Tates’ claims of having multiple passports and access to wealth and influence in numerous countries demonstrate a heightened risk of flight that no amount of bond could overcome.
The brothers were wearing tan prison clothes and shackled for Thursday’s hearing.
Their lawyers spent more than an hour mostly repeating arguments from court filings that the U.K.'s request was out of line because their criminal case in Romania is going first. Romanian officials have let them remain free until the proceedings conclude and they have not tried to flee and are complying with all court restrictions.
The judge reminded defense attorneys she has to follow U.S. laws.
Attorneys for the Tates also said they largely exaggerated their claims of wealth to boost their social media personas, their claims of multiple passports were satirical and a “$50-million-dollar superyacht” featured in one of the brothers' videos does not actually belong to them. The expensive luxury cars, including a $2.1 million Aston Martin, that were featured in other videos were rented, the defense says.
The brothers have long claimed that their violent and misogynistic statements have been taken out of context or were intended as jokes.
"That is not the real Andrew Tate, the person Andrew Tate," said his lawyer Howard Srebnick, who in court Thursday compared Tate on social media to Sacha Baron Cohen's confrontational Ali G character.
Brothers became controversial social media stars
The former professional kickboxers, who have dual U.S. and U.K. citizenship, have millions of social media followers and are vocal supporters of President Donald Trump. The White House has said the brothers shouldn’t expect any help from the president.
Andrew Tate, 39, became famous a decade ago when he was a contestant on the U.K. reality television show “Big Brother.” He was ejected from the show when a video appeared to show him assaulting a woman.
He has amassed over 10 million followers on X but has been banned from other platforms, including YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, for violating hate speech guidelines. He has made widely condemned comments, such as saying women who are sexually assaulted should bear some responsibility for the attacks and sharing graphic descriptions of how he might attack women.
Tristan Tate, 38, has worked with his brother on multiple businesses, including the production of online webcam pornography.
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Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.
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