British prosecutors have formally requested the extradition of social media personalities Andrew Tate and Tristan Tate from the United States to the United Kingdom, where they face a total of 59 criminal charges, including rape, assault and offences relating to trafficking for sexual exploitation.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) submitted the extradition request after the brothers were arrested in Florida in July following the announcement of additional charges against them.
The US State Department received the extradition applications last week and is expected to examine whether they comply with the existing extradition agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom.
The brothers, who hold both US and British citizenship, are currently being held in the United States after a federal judge rejected their application for release on bail last week.
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59 charges against the brothers
The Tate brothers originally faced 21 charges in the UK. Prosecutors added another 38 charges in July, relating to alleged offences between 2010 and 2017.
The CPS says the additional charges followed the receipt of new evidence from Bedfordshire Police and brought the total number of alleged victims in the case to seven.
According to documents cited in reports, Andrew Tate, 39, faces 42 charges, including 10 counts of rape, three counts of arranging or facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation and three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
He also faces charges relating to alleged indecent images of a child and extreme pornography.
Tristan Tate, 38, faces 17 charges, including five counts of rape, six counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, three counts of arranging or facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation and one count of sexual assault.
The brothers have denied all allegations against them.
Tate brothers’ lawyer challenges extradition request
The brothers’ lawyer, Joe McBride, said he intends to challenge the extradition requests.
McBride told the BBC that the brothers had not received copies of the extradition applications or supporting documents that he says should accompany them, including warrants, charging documents and information establishing a reasonable basis for the allegations.
The lawyer argued that the British authorities had failed to provide the documentation required under the US-UK extradition agreement.
The Tate brothers have consistently denied wrongdoing and have disputed the allegations made against them.
What happens next?
The extradition request does not mean that the brothers will automatically be sent back to Britain.
The US State Department will first review the applications to determine whether they comply with the applicable extradition arrangements. If the request passes that stage, it can proceed through the US Department of Justice and ultimately before a US court.
A court will then consider the extradition request under US law. The process could take months.
For now, Andrew and Tristan Tate remain in US custody while the legal proceedings continue.
The UK Home Office has declined to comment specifically on the individual case, citing its policy of not routinely commenting on individual extradition matters.
The Tate brothers previously faced separate criminal allegations in Romania, where they were investigated in connection with allegations including human trafficking. They have denied wrongdoing in those cases as well.
Important: The allegations in the UK case have not been proven in court, and neither brother has been convicted of the offences described above.
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