Controversial internet personality and self-proclaimed misogynist Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan were arrested July 18 in Miami, Florida, by federal officials, according to the United Kingdom’s Crown Prosecution Service.
Prosecutors in the U.K. are seeking to extradite the brothers to face multiple charges of rape and human trafficking. The prosecution agency announced a slew of charges against the Tates shortly before the arrests on Saturday.
The brothers, 39 and 38, also face prosecution in Romania and are named in multiple civil lawsuits connected to claims of sexual violence and trafficking.
Here’s what we know.
Who are the Tate brothers, Andrew and Tristan?
Social media influencer Andrew Tate has gained millions of fans by promoting an ultra-masculine attitude that critics say denigrates women.
Emory Andrew Tate III is a former professional kickboxer who gained notoriety for promoting an extreme view of men and women. He appeared on the 17th season of the British reality show “Big Brother” but was removed after six days after a video showed him hitting a woman with a belt and telling a woman to count while he did so. Vice later reported that the producers dropped him when they became aware of an ongoing rape investigation, which was later dropped.
Tate and his brother Tristan started a webcam studio with up to 75 webcam models which he later admitted was a scam, according to GQ, and opened several different online schools to encourage teenage boys and young men to forego traditional life paths and instead focus on making as much money as possible through unconventional, mostly online means.
Tate’s popularity exploded online due to his increasingly inflammatory statements.
What did Andrew Tate, brother Tristan, get arrested for?
The Crown Prosecution Service announced it was prosecuting Andrew Tate with seven new counts of rape, three counts of arranging or facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation, three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and 19 additional charges for offenses relating to indecent images of a child and extreme pornography.
Tristan Tate is being prosecuted on one count of sexual assault, two counts of rape and three counts of arranging or facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation.
The charges are in addition to 21 original charges, including rape and human trafficking, brought in the U.K. against the Tate brothers, bringing the total charges against them to 59.
The brothers deny the charges.
UK requested extradition of Tate brothers
“We have decided to prosecute Andrew and Tristan Tate for further offences including rape, arranging or facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation and offences relating to indecent images of a child,” Malcolm McHaffie, head of the Special Crime Division at the Crown Prosecution Service, said in a statement. “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.
“The CPS has requested the extradition of the Tates from the US. They have been arrested and await extradition proceedings to the UK,” McHaffie’s statement reads.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Andrew Tate, brother Tristan arrested in Florida. What we know
Reporting by Ashley Ferrer, Will Carless, Kim Hjelmgaard and C. A. Bridges, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Ashley Ferrer, Will Carless, Kim Hjelmgaard and C. A. Bridges, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida | USA TODAY Network
