Florida has launched a criminal investigation into British-American influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate, who flew to the US last week from Romania, where they faced charges of rape and human trafficking.
According to foreign media, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said investigators have issued search warrants and subpoenas as part of a "now active" investigation.
In the US, the brothers also face a civil lawsuit from a woman who claims they forced her to perform sexual services and then defamed her after she gave evidence to Romanian authorities. They vehemently deny all the allegations against them.
A former kickboxer and self-described misogynist who appeared on the UK TV show Big Brother, Andrew Tate has millions of followers online.
Andrew, 38, and his brother Tristan, 36, face separate charges in the UK of rape and human trafficking. They also deny those charges, A2 CNN reports.
Uthmeier, a Republican, said in a statement Tuesday: "Last week, I directed my office to work with our law enforcement partners to conduct a preliminary investigation into Andrew and Tristan Tate.
"Based on a thorough review of the evidence, I have directed the State Attorney's Office to execute search warrants and issue subpoenas in the already active criminal investigation into the Tate brothers."
The Tate brothers' attorney, Joseph McBride, released a statement later Tuesday about the investigation.
"Today, Attorney General James Uthmeier threw ethics law out the window when he publicly took sides in a Florida lawsuit where Andrew and Tristan Tate are suing a Florida woman for orchestrating a sophisticated conspiracy to use sex as a weapon to destroy their lives," the statement said.
McBride called the attorney general's comments "harassing" and "biased."
The Tates were first arrested in Romania in December 2022, with Andrew charged with rape and human trafficking and Tristan suspected of human trafficking. They moved to Romania from the UK several years ago. (A2 Televizion)
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