Defense lawyer to challenge UK request on procedural grounds
The UK Crown Prosecution Service submitted a full extradition request to the US State Department before a 16 September deadline set under US-UK extradition rules, according to BBC News reporting.
An official letter from the State Department seen by the BBC says Andrew Tate, 39, is “wanted to stand trial in the United Kingdom” on 10 counts of rape, three counts of arranging or facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation and three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He is also accused of making and distributing indecent images of a child and possessing extreme pornography.
Tristan Tate, 38, faces five counts of rape, six counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, three counts of sex trafficking and one count of sexual assault, according to the same letter. The Crown Prosecution Service originally brought 21 charges against the brothers and added 38 more in July for alleged actions spanning 2010 to 2017.
The brothers’ lawyer, Joe McBride, told the BBC he would challenge the requests on the grounds they were not supported by the information required under the extradition agreement. McBride said the brothers had not received the extradition requests themselves, nor documents such as “a warrant, a charging document, and information that provides a reasonable basis to believe my clients committed these offences.” He characterized the process as a “cloak-and-dagger act” that “speaks to the deception behind these accusations and to their weakness.”
After the State Department completes its review, the request must proceed through the US Justice Department, which will forward it to a court where the final decision on extradition will be made, the BBC reported. The brothers will remain in jail in the US throughout the legal proceedings.
“As a matter of long-standing policy and practice, we do not routinely comment on individual cases,” a Home Office spokesperson said when asked about the request.
US authorities took the brothers into custody in July, shortly after the UK announced the expanded charges. Last week, they lost a bid to be released on bail from a Florida jail.
Andrew Tate first rose to public attention through a 2016 appearance on the British version of the reality TV show Big Brother. The former professional kickboxers, who hold dual US and British citizenship, became social media influencers and have been accused of promoting misogyny and toxic masculinity online, drawing a large following among young men. Andrew Tate has described himself as a “misogynist.”
The brothers had primarily been living in Romania since 2017. They also face sex-trafficking charges in Romania from 2022 and were under a travel ban there until they were allowed to come to the US in 2025. Both brothers deny all charges and allegations against them in both jurisdictions.