Tate brothers remain in Miami jail as judge weighs bail in UK extradition fight
By Luc Cohen
MIAMI, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate will remain in U.S. custody for now after a federal judge in Miami declined to rule on their bail request on Thursday, extending their detention while they fight extradition to Britain.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Lauren Louis heard testimony from the brothers and their lawyers, who proposed releasing them on bond, requiring them to surrender their passports and submit to location monitoring. But Louis did not issue an immediate decision, and U.S. marshals led Andrew and Tristan Tate out of the courtroom in handcuffs and foot shackles after the hearing.
The brothers were arrested in Miami on July 18 after Britain requested their extradition. They have dual U.S. and British citizenship and have denied any wrongdoing.
Federal prosecutors opposed bail, arguing the brothers would pose a danger to the community. Prosecutor Abbie Waxman showed the court a video of Andrew Tate saying, "slap, slap, grab, choke, shut up bitch, sex." Waxman said the Tates "promote incredible violence against women" and that it was "not a character, it is who they are."
In an August 10 court filing, prosecutors in the Miami U.S. Attorney's office said the Tates recruited dozens of women to work for a webcam pornography business starting in 2014 and later ran online courses called "Hustler's University."
Testifying Thursday, both brothers said their more provocative posts were performances. Andrew Tate, 39, called "Top G" a caricature and a "hyperbolic character." He said he uses the persona "to shake men out of apathy." His brother Tristan, 38, said Andrew's outlandish comedy "makes him go viral" and added: "He's the only person in the world who is judged by a character that he plays."
The brothers appeared in beige prison garb and had grown beards. Natasha Sesay, the mother of one of Andrew Tate's children, testified that his online comments did not reflect who he was in person. "It's a very different character between the person that you see online and the person I know," she said. Sesay, who is expecting another of Andrew Tate's children next month, acknowledged under cross-examination that he paid for her home in Dubai as well as luxury bags, shoes and jewelry.
Britain's extradition request stems from charges brought by the Crown Prosecution Service involving four alleged victims and offenses said to have occurred between July 2010 and August 2017. The CPS said the Tates had also previously faced rape and human trafficking charges in Britain related to three other alleged victims. A British judge issued arrest warrants in 2024, but the brothers have not appeared in a British court to enter pleas to those charges.
The extradition process could take months. Britain has until September 16 to submit its full extradition request to the State Department, according to U.S. court records.
The case adds to a widening legal battle for the brothers, who were also arrested in Romania in December 2022 and later indicted there on charges including human trafficking and rape. They have denied those allegations as well. Louis's decision on bail will determine whether the Tates remain behind bars while the broader extradition fight plays out.