Controversial social media personalities Andrew Tate and his brother, Tristan Tate, have been arrested in the United States following the approval of 38 fresh criminal charges by British prosecutors.
The UK’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced that Andrew Tate is facing seven additional rape charges alongside new allegations linked to sex trafficking and indecent images involving a child. Tristan Tate has also been charged with two counts of rape and three counts of arranging or facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation.
The latest charges increase the total number of allegations against the brothers to 59, according to police.
Authorities said the alleged offences occurred between July 2010 and August 2017. The Tate brothers have consistently denied all accusations against them.
Following their arrest, British prosecutors said extradition proceedings would begin to have the brothers, who hold both British and American citizenship, returned to the UK.
“These charging decisions followed receipt of a further file of evidence from Bedfordshire Police and bring the total number of alleged victims in this case to seven,” Malcolm McHaffie, Head of the Special Crime Division at the CPS, said.
Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire police described the investigation as complex, noting that the newly authorised charges mean Andrew Tate, 39, now faces 42 criminal counts in the UK, while Tristan, 37, faces 17.
The US Marshals confirmed that both men had been taken into custody, while a spokesperson for the US Department of Justice said the arrests were carried out “pursuant to extradition proceedings”.
Reacting to the arrests, the brothers’ lawyer, Joseph McBride, maintained their innocence and described the new case as politically motivated.
“The world knows Andrew and Tristan are innocent,” McBride said.
“Their enemies know it best of all. That is exactly why they have been attacked.”
He also labelled the fresh UK charges a “political hit,” arguing that they were intended to undermine a defamation lawsuit the brothers had filed in the United States.
“We are confident that once a competent judge sees the facts, and once the Department of Justice confronts this egregious abuse of its own authority, Andrew and Tristan Tate will walk free. America does not do Britain’s political dirty work,” he added.
In 2024, Bedfordshire Police secured European arrest warrants seeking the brothers’ extradition from Romania, where they have been facing separate criminal investigations.
Matt Jury, a lawyer representing several of Andrew Tate’s alleged British victims, welcomed the latest development.
“Andrew and Tristan Tate are accused of some of the most serious offences, including multiple counts of rape and human trafficking. It is time they face justice,” he said.
