Who Are the Tate Brothers? What to Know About Disgraced Influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate and the Criminal Charges Against Them

Andrew Tate and his younger brother, Tristan Tate, have gone from controversial Internet personalities to accused international criminals.

Over the past decade, the Tate brothers, particularly Andrew, gained notoriety — and a massive social media following — thanks to their brand of toxic masculinity that they promote online, which includes sexist statements, hate speech and over-the-top displays of wealth. Though the brothers have more than 10 million followers on X between them, Andrew and Tristan’s Internet personas and online businesses have frequently been the subject of controversy in recent years: Andrew has faced backlash for his statements that women “belong” to men and “bear some responsibility” for being raped, according to The New York Times, as well as claiming that men are the victims of feminism and that there is a conspiracy to subdue men’s success.

But their troubles took a criminal turn in 2022 when Andrew and Tristan were arrested in Romania in connection to an investigation looking into human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women. Romanian authorities indicted the Tate brothers on the charges in June 2023, placing them on house arrest and confiscating several of their assets — including 15 luxury cars, 14 luxury watches, and approximately $300 million in cryptocurrency. In December 2024, however, a Romanian appeals court ruled that the human trafficking case against the Tates could not go to trial due to several legal and procedural irregularities from the prosecutors, per the Associated Press. The case has since been returned to the prosecutors and remains open.

Andrew and Tristan faced additional charges in March 2024, but this time they stemmed from a U.K. arrest warrant relating to alleged sexual aggression charges. Despite the mounting charges against them, both of the Tate brothers have maintained their innocence and denied all of the allegations — with Andrew even claiming that the authorities have no evidence against them and the charges are the result of a conspiracy to silence them, according to BBC.

In February 2025, the brothers made headlines again when they returned to the United States.

So why are the Tate brothers back in the United States and what is the status of their criminal trials? Here’s everything to know about the charges against Andrew and Tristan Tate and where they are now.

Who are the Tate brothers?

Andrew and Tristan Tate are both professional kickboxers turned controversial social media influencers known for showcasing their lavish lifestyles, including luxury cars, private jets and designer clothing. But the brothers, who are dual British-American citizens, hail from much humbler beginnings.

Their father was a Black U.S. Air Force veteran and renowned chess competitor, while their mother was a White British working-class woman. Though the brothers were briefly raised in the United States, they moved to the United Kingdom with their mother following their parents’ divorce.

“I was raised on welfare, on Marsh Farm, which is the worst area of the worst town — Luton — with the highest crime rate,” Andrew said on a podcast appearance about his upbringing. “Started from absolutely nothing … I started at the absolute lowest echelon of life.”

What are the Tate brothers known for?

Andrew and Tristan first began to gain moderate fame and income in the early 2010s, through both their kickboxing careers and reality television appearances. The brothers each made a name for themselves in the kickboxing ring, with Andrew winning several world champion titles and Tristan earning two European championship belts. Their stints on reality television were less successful, however: Tristan appeared on Shipwrecked: The Island in 2011 but did not win, while Andrew competed on the 2010 British reality show Ultimate Traveller, but was forced to quit over an eye infection.

But it was in 2016, when Andrew appeared as a contestant on Britain’s Big Brother, that he began to gain the most notoriety. He was removed from the show within a week after video surfaced of him assaulting a woman with a belt (Andrew and his ex-girlfriend, the woman in the video, claimed it was consensual, according to Rolling Stone) — though Vice later reported in 2023 that his exit was due to producers learning that police were investigating Andrew for sexual assault and physical abuse. (No charges were ever filed.)

Since getting the boot on Big Brother, Andrew and his younger brother Tristan have capitalized on the attention. Andrew amassed a massive social media following, where he would regularly post misogynistic content. The brothers also launched multiple online businesses, including the War Room, a social network for men with an $8,000-price tag that has been accused of teaching its participants how to abuse and sexually exploit women, according to a BBC investigation. They also created Hustlers University in 2021, an online community that charged $49.99 monthly to men looking to earn income through different money-making schemes, including cryptocurrency and copywriting. By 2023, the platform (which was rebranded as The Real World) had 168,000 members and was bringing in $8 million in revenue per month, Rolling Stone reported.

But Andrew’s controversial online presence has come at a cost: In 2017, he was banned from what was then Twitter for claiming that women “bear some responsibility” for being raped; and in August 2022, Andrew was removed from Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok for misogynistic content, according to ABC News. (Andrew’s X account was reinstated in late 2022 following Elon Musk’s takeover of the platform.)

“I am not misogynistic, I believe women should be protected, provided and cared for,” Andrew wrote in a series of posts on X in February 2023. He added, “My message is pure and positive. Billions of dollars cannot mask this truth. It’s just tax dollars being wasted.”

What crimes are the Tate brothers accused of committing?

In December 2022, Tristan and Andrew, along with two other individuals, were arrested in Romania in connection with human trafficking, rape and forming an organized crime ring.

“The Matrix sent their agents,” Andrew posted on X hours after the news of his arrest broke.

The investigation into the brothers dates back to April 2022, when a complaint was received that “a woman with American citizenship was being forcibly held at their residence” in Bucharest, Romania, according to Romanian daily newspaper Gândul. After conducting their months-long inquiry, Romanian authorities alleged that the Tate brothers and two Romanian women lied to seven female victims, luring them to Romania under false pretenses of marriage or a cohabitation relationship, and then assaulted and exploited them through physical violence and persuasion, the Associated Press reported.

Authorities alleged that their tactics included intimidating the women, placing them under constant surveillance and forcing them to perform pornographic acts that were then shared on social media. The statement from Romania’s anti-terrorism organization, the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism, also alleged that one of the defendants raped a woman twice in March 2022.

The Tate brothers were held in a Romanian prison until March 2023, when they were released on house arrest. In June 2023, they were officially charged: Andrew was indicted on charges of rape, human trafficking and forming a criminal group to sexually exploit women, while Tristan was charged with human trafficking, forming a criminal group and inciting others to violence, per CNN.

Andrew and Tristan’s attorney denied all of the allegations.

“While this news is undoubtedly predictable, we embrace the opportunity it presents to demonstrate their innocence and vindicate their reputation,” Tate’s legal team said in a statement shared with PEOPLE.

Then, in March 2024, Andrew and Tristan were arrested in Romania on a U.K. warrant relating to charges of “sexual aggression” that allegedly occurred between 2012 and 2015.

Four women reported Andrew for alleged sexual violence and physical abuse to authorities in the U.K., though the authorities did not prosecute him at the time, the Associated Press reported. The women then launched a crowdfunding effort to cover the legal costs associated with pursuing a civil case against him.

“It’s our one remaining route to hold him accountable,” the campaign page read, according to the Associated Press.

According to a spokesperson for the brothers, Andrew and Tristan “unequivocally deny all allegations and decry what they perceive as an exploitative use of the legal system.”

Where are the Tate brothers now?

Following their June 2023 indictments in Romania, Andrew and Tristan remained on house arrest until August 2023, when they were released and placed under judicial control, the Associated Press reported. Under the loosened restrictions, the brothers were not allowed to leave Romania or be in “close proximity” with any of the other defendants, witnesses, or alleged victims and their families.

When the Tate brothers were arrested in March 2024 on a U.K. arrest warrant, a Romanian court ruled that they could be extradited to the U.K. — but only after the conclusion of their trial in Romania on human trafficking, rape and gang charges, according to the BBC.

Authorities have since lifted travel restrictions on Andrew and Tristan, and the brothers arrived in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. on Feb. 27, 2025. Their arrival stateside came after Romanian Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu claimed that a Trump administration official showed interest in the Tates’ situation at the recent Munich Security Conference.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, however, does not want the controversial figures to stay in the southern state.

“Florida is not a place where you’re welcome with that type of conduct,” DeSantis told reporters.

What is the status of the Tate brothers’ trials?

A Romanian appeals court ruled in December 2024 that the case against the Tates could not go to trial due to several legal and procedural irregularities from the prosecutors. However, the case has not been closed.

According to the Associated Press, prosecutors have the opportunity to present new evidence to support their charges or amend and change the existing charges. The brothers’ defense team made the initial request for the appeals court to review the case. “The review revealed significant procedural flaws and raised serious concerns about the integrity of the investigative process, further undermining the credibility of the prosecution’s case,” said Andrew’s spokesperson Mateea Petrescu.

Once their legal proceedings in Romania conclude, Andrew and Tristan face sexual aggression charges in the United Kingdom.

The Tate brothers also have an ongoing defamation lawsuit in the Palm Beach Circuit Court. In July 2023, Andrew and Tristan sued a Florida woman for $5 million in damages, claiming she falsely accused them of holding her captive in Romania. Upon their return to the U.S. in 2025, the siblings filed a motion seeking a temporary restraining order against the woman.