BUCHAREST (Reuters) – Online influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan departed the United States for Romania on a private flight on Friday to address legal obligations linked to a criminal investigation against them, as stated by the duo. They are currently under investigation in Romania for allegedly orchestrating an organized criminal group, engaging in human trafficking, trafficking of minors, sexual relations with a minor, and money laundering. The brothers have vehemently refuted these allegations.
Andrew Tate expressed on the social media platform X, “Spending $185,000 on a private jet to cross the Atlantic just to sign a single document in Romania. Innocent individuals do not flee; they clear their name in court.” As part of the precautionary judicial measures during the ongoing investigation, the Tates are mandated to check in regularly with the police, with their next check-in scheduled for March 24.
Their return from Florida follows Romanian authorities lifting the travel restriction against them three weeks ago. A source from the U.S., familiar with the situation, disclosed that Washington had urged Bucharest to return the brothers’ passports and permit them to travel. Andrew Tate’s media team announced their anticipated arrival at their residence near Bucharest around 2300 GMT.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced on March 4 that his office had initiated a criminal probe against the brothers, a move endorsed by the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, representing one of Tate’s purported victims from Florida. Tate expressed on X that they had returned to Miami to visit family and were taken aback by the investigation. “We have no criminal history and expected a warm reception after being unjustly mistreated abroad,” he shared.
UltraViolet, a national organization advocating for gender justice, displayed “Unwanted” posters across Miami on Thursday, demanding the Tates’ extradition. An initial criminal case against the brothers in Bucharest was dismissed in December, with the court citing flaws in the indictment and returning the files to the prosecutors.
A British arrest warrant has also been issued for the Tates and will be executed after the conclusion of the trial proceedings in Romania. The accusations in Britain, which the brothers deny, pertain to alleged sexual misconduct between 2012 and 2015. (Reporting by Luiza Ilie; Editing by Alison Williams)
