Social media stars Andrew and Tristan Tate arrested on rape, human trafficking charges

July 18- The U.S. Marshals Service arrested Andrew and Tristan Tate on Saturday as Britain's Crown Prosecution Service said it would seek extradition of the kickboxers-turned-social media stars on fresh charges of rape, bodily harm and human trafficking.

The CPS said it would bring more charges against Andrew Tate, 39, and Tristan Tate, 38, after it identified four additional victims. The Tates will face charges in Britain relating to alleged offences between July 2010 and August 2017.

"We have decided to prosecute Andrew and Tristan Tate for further offences including rape, arranging or facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation and offences relating to indecent images of a child," Malcolm McHaffie, Head of the Special Crime Division at the CPS, said in a statement.

The Tate brothers, who have dual U.S. and British citizenship, have denied any wrongdoing.

The U.S. Marshals Service did not immediately return requests for comment.

The brothers were arrested in Miami, according to multiple news outlets.

The arrests mark a new chapter in the widening legal troubles for the brothers, who already face criminal proceedings in Romania, where authorities have been investigating them since December 2022.

The brothers have built a large online following promoting their views on masculinity and wealth, while Andrew Tate has previously described himself as a misogynist.

Andrew Tate is due to face trial in Britain this year in a civil case brought by four women for alleged physical and sexual abuse.

The four claimants, who have been granted anonymity, allege Tate subjected them to physical or sexual violence between 2013 and 2015. Two say they were in an intimate relationship with Tate, while two worked for his online webcam business.

Andrew Tate denies the allegations. In his written defence, his lawyers said the claims are false and that all sexual activity was consensual.

Reporting by Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles; Editing by Sergio Non and Michael Perry/Reuters