Aug 7 (Reuters) - Lawyers for social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate urged a U.S. judge on Friday to release the brothers from a Miami jail as they fight the British government's efforts to extradite them to face charges of rape, assault and facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation.
In a filing in Miami federal court, the Tate brothers' lawyers said their "extraordinary public visibility" would make it impractical for them to try to flee, meaning there was no need to keep them behind bars until the extradition proceedings end.
"It would be extraordinarily difficult for Andrew or Tristan to travel undetected or avoid attention," their lawyers wrote.
They urged U.S. Magistrate Judge Lauren Louis to release them on bail on condition that they surrender their passports and submit to location monitoring.
FORMER KICKBOXERS DENY WRONGDOING
Andrew Tate, 39, and Tristan Tate, 38, were arrested in Miami on July 18. Britain's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said on July 19 it had brought new charges against the two relating to alleged offenses involving four alleged victims between July 2010 and August 2017.
The Tate brothers, both former kickboxers who have dual U.S. and British citizenship, have denied any wrongdoing. Their arrests marked a new chapter in the widening legal troubles for the brothers, who have built a large online following promoting their views on masculinity and wealth. Andrew Tate has previously described himself as a misogynist.
Prosecutors with the Miami U.S. Attorney's Office are due to respond to the Tates' bid for release on bail by August 10, and Louis has scheduled a court hearing over their possible release for August 13.
Prosecutors have previously said Louis should keep the brothers detained because there was a risk they could flee and because they posed dangers to the community.
The legal process for determining whether the Tate brothers may be extradited could take months. Britain has until September 16 to submit its full extradition request to the State Department, U.S. court records show.
Andrew Tate and Tristan Tate had previously faced rape and human trafficking charges in Britain related to three alleged victims, the CPS said. A British judge issued a warrant for their arrests in January 2024. They have not appeared in British court to enter a plea to those charges.
Britain is seeking to extradite the brothers to face both sets of charges.
(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Noeleen Walder and David Holmes)
