Influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate, known for their controversial actions, are now the subjects of a criminal probe upon their return to the United States. This follows their involvement in legal issues in Europe involving accusations of human trafficking and sexual exploitation.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier revealed on Tuesday that a preliminary inquiry has been launched into the Tate brothers. Subsequently, the Office of Statewide Prosecution has been instructed to carry out search warrants and issue subpoenas as part of an active criminal investigation.
The specifics of the new investigation have not been disclosed yet, but it may delve into allegations similar to those faced by the Tates abroad.
“There’s a lot of opinions about us, a lot of things that go around about us on the internet,” he said. “We’ve yet to be convicted of any crime in our lives, ever. We have no criminal record anywhere on the planet, ever.”
But Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was quick to announce publicly the brothers weren’t welcome in the Sunshine State.
David Gelman, a Philadelphia-area defense attorney, said it’s unusual for a prosecutor to announce a criminal probe this early.
A dog sits near sports cars parked in the yard of Andrew Tate’s residence on the outskirts of Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
“When you get subpoenas and those sort of things, they’re supposed to be done in secret, because you’re doing an investigation,” he told Fox News Digital. “So for him to be so blatant about it, either he thinks he has a really, really strong case, or maybe something bigger is on the horizon.”
An attorney for the Tate brothers did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but the brothers posted a two-minute video on X Wednesday morning dismissing the new probe as “revenge of the nerds.”
“Andrew Tate is super cool – everyone loves him, and a bunch of nerds who wanna be cool, who aren’t cool, are trying to drag me down,” the older brother said.
In the U.K., the brothers have been accused of failure to pay taxes, and Andrew Tate is expected to be extradited there on a charge of sexual aggression after the conclusion of his Romanian case, which remains ongoing.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
