Magistrate cites flight risk despite lawyers’ exaggerated-wealth claim
A federal magistrate in Miami denied bail Wednesday to social-media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate, leaving the brothers in U.S. federal detention as they continue to fight potential extradition to the U.K. on charges of rape and sex trafficking.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Lauren Louis ruled that Andrew, 39, and Tristan, 38, failed to establish that they are entitled to be released while proceedings are ongoing. In a 30-page ruling, she raised concerns about the brothers as a flight risk and said there were no special circumstances that warranted their release.
The brothers, who hold dual U.S. and U.K. citizenship, face a total of 59 charges of alleged rape and sex trafficking in the U.K. Court documents unsealed at the time of their July arrests in Miami accused Andrew and Tristan of repeatedly choking women and then raping them, sometimes when they were unconscious, according to prosecutors. The Tates have denied the allegations.
U.S. prosecutors had asked the court to keep the brothers detained, alleging the pair are a flight risk with multiple passports, international influence and access to substantial wealth. Lawyers for the brothers countered that they were not a flight risk and did not pose a threat to potential witnesses or accusers.
The defense pointed to a separate prosecution in Romania, where the brothers face similar charges and have complied with requirements in that case before being released from custody. Romania’s case continues separately, their lawyers noted.
In court filings, the brothers’ lawyers argued that their social-media presence was intentionally exaggerated for their audience, including claims of being “trillionaires.” The brothers have a professional need to appear “uber-wealthy,” the lawyers said. Expensive cars posted in videos — a $2.1 million Aston Martin and Bugattis worth $5 million and $7 million — were actually rented, the lawyers said.
The judge was not persuaded. “While Respondents may not in fact possess what extravagant holdings they portray themselves as possessing online, the record reflects that they possess an exceptional capacity to flee the jurisdiction,” Louis wrote.
Andrew Tate, who has more than 10 million followers on X, has built a following by promoting a hypermasculine lifestyle centered on fast cars and women while vocally rejecting feminism. The former kickboxer supported President Trump during the election campaign, and the brothers’ case has been championed by several right-wing commentators.
The brothers have been held in federal detention since their arrests in Miami in July.