Florida Investigates Andrew Tate and Brother as DeSantis Declares Them 'Not Welcome'

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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has made it clear that controversial influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan are "not welcome" in the state following their arrival in the U.S. after Romania lifted travel restrictions related to their pending criminal case. "Florida is not a place where you’re welcome with that type of conduct," DeSantis stated at a press conference in response to questions about the Tate brothers.  

BREAKING: As Andrew Tate and Tristan Tate land in Miami, Florida, from Romania, Ron DeSantis says that they are NOT welcome here.

"The reality is, Florida is not a place where you are welcome, with that type of conduct in the air. I don’t know how it came to this. We were not… pic.twitter.com/jvQfJUFZtM

— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) February 27, 2025

 

At the same time, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that his office has launched a "preliminary inquiry" into the brothers. "Florida has zero tolerance for human trafficking and violence against women. If any of these alleged crimes trigger Florida jurisdiction, we will hold them accountable," Uthmeier posted on X on Thursday. He also noted that his office had not been involved in the situation prior to media reports about their arrival.  

 

Andrew, 38, and Tristan, 36, left Romania on Wednesday after prosecutors in the country approved a "request to modify the obligation preventing the defendants from leaving Romania," according to the country’s anti-organized crime agency DIICOT. The brothers had been awaiting trial for charges of sex trafficking and forming a criminal gang to exploit women, allegations they have consistently denied.  

 

Upon their departure, their plane landed in Fort Lauderdale around noon, confirmed their spokesperson, Mateea Petrescu. DeSantis also stated that Florida's Attorney General is evaluating legal options regarding the brothers' presence in the state. "Our Attorney General, James Uthmeier, is looking into what state hooks and jurisdictions we have to deal with this," he told reporters.  

 

The reason behind Romania's decision to lift the travel restrictions remains unclear. However, Romania's Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has denied reports that the Trump administration exerted pressure on Romanian authorities to allow the Tates to leave the country. "The United States of America has made no request to Romania regarding the legal status of certain well-known foreign influencers under investigation by Romanian authorities," Ciolacu posted on X last Tuesday. "There were no such requests during the discussion between the Foreign Ministry and Richard Grenell, nor afterward."  

 

President Trump has also distanced himself from the matter, telling reporters in the Oval Office, "I know nothing about that. We’ll check it out. We’ll let you know."  

 

Andrew and Tristan, who hold both U.S. and British citizenship, were arrested in Romania in late 2022 and formally indicted last year on charges of participating in a criminal sex ring that lured women to Romania. Additionally, four women in the UK have accused Andrew Tate of rape and coercive control, filing a civil case against him in his birthplace.  

 

In a joint statement on Thursday, the accusers expressed outrage over the Tate brothers' ability to leave Romania. "We are in disbelief and feel re-traumatized by the news that the Romanian authorities have given into pressure from the Trump administration to allow Andrew Tate to travel around Europe and to the US," they said.  

 

Although a Romanian court ruled in December that the case against the Tate brothers could not proceed to trial due to multiple legal and procedural irregularities by prosecutors, the investigation remains open, and they continue to face legal scrutiny in Romania.

 

Based on a report by NYP  2025-03-01