British prosecutors say Andrew and Tristan Tate used a “lover boy” model to exploit women, according to court documents unsealed Monday in the United States.
The brothers, who hold dual US and British citizenship, allegedly lured vulnerable women to Romania with promises of romance before forcing them into online pornography, a Bedfordshire Police detective wrote in summaries filed with the British embassy in Washington. Andrew Tate, 39, and Tristan Tate, 38, were arrested in Miami in July after Britain requested their extradition. They have been jailed there since and face charges including rape and human trafficking in the UK, though they have not yet formally appeared in a British court to answer them.
“The prosecution case is that Andrew Tate and Tristan Tate used and threatened physical and sexual violence in order to maintain control and compliance,” the detective’s summary read. According to the documents, Andrew Tate persuaded women he had formed relationships with to relocate to Romania by telling them they could earn money through his webcam business. Once there, the women became financially dependent on the brothers, who often confiscated their passports.
Joseph McBride, a lawyer for the Tate brothers, attacked the British case in a statement. “No American court should be asked to surrender a person to a foreign country on the word of secret accusers,” he said. McBride added that the accusations could not be “meaningfully tested” because Britain had not disclosed the names of the accusers to the defense.
US Magistrate Judge Lauren Louis on Thursday asked the Tate brothers’ lawyers to propose dates for final extradition hearings, but no date has been set. The brothers have denied all wrongdoing.
The former kickboxers have built a massive online following promoting views on masculinity and wealth, with Andrew Tate previously describing himself as a misogynist. Their legal troubles extend beyond Britain: they have been under investigation since 2022 in Romania on charges including human trafficking.
The British embassy sent its extradition support documents to Washington last month, with the Bedfordshire Police summaries offering the most comprehensive description to date of the criminal case against the brothers.