Floridaโs attorney general said Tuesday that a criminal investigation has been opened into self-described misogynist influencer Andrew Tate and his brother, who flew to the southern US state last week from Romania, where they faced rape and human trafficking charges.
โThese guys have publicly admitted to participating in what very much appears to be soliciting, trafficking, preying upon women around the world,โ James Uthmeier said in comments posted online by a reporter with EW Scripps broadcasting.
โThis is an ongoing criminal investigation and weโre going to use every tool we have to ensure that justice is served,โ he said.
Andrew Tate arrived in the United States on Thursday โ the first time he has been out of Romania since his 2022 arrest.
Prosecutors in the eastern European country allege that Tate, 38, his brother Tristan, 36, and two women set up a criminal organisation in Romania and Britain in early 2021 and sexually exploited several victims.
Andrew Tate, speaking to reporters after arriving in Fort Lauderdale last week, said he and his brother have โyet to be convicted of any crime in our lives everโ.
โWe live in a democratic society where itโs innocent until proven guilty, and I think my brother and I are largely misunderstood,โ he said.