Andrew and Tristan Tate were arrested by U.S. Marshals on Saturday afternoon (July 18) outside the James L. Knight Center in downtown Miami, halting Andrew's scheduled appearance as co-host of IBA Bareknuckle 6.
U.S. Marshals Service spokesperson Brady McCarron confirmed that an arrest warrant had been issued, though it was sealed, according to the Associated Press via Newsday. The specific charges against the brothers were not announced at the time of their arrest.
The brothers have been sought in the United Kingdom on rape and human trafficking charges, per the U.S. Marshals Service. Westminster Magistrates' Court issued extradition warrants for both men in March 2024 under an investigation known as Operation Moonwalk. The Crown Prosecution Service had filed 21 charges against them in May 2025, including rape, actual bodily harm, and human trafficking, stemming from allegations made by four women.
The Tate brothers, dual U.S.-British citizens, arrived in Florida in February 2025 after departing Romania on a private jet. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier opened a criminal investigation into the pair in March 2025 following their arrival. A court filing in a separate Palm Beach defamation case later suggested they may also be under federal investigation by the DOJ's Southern District of New York.
Their legal troubles date back to December 2022, when Romanian authorities first detained both men along with two others on suspicion of human trafficking. All four were eventually indicted in June 2023 on charges of rape, human trafficking, and forming an organized crime group, with seven alleged victims identified. Romanian investigators expanded the case against Andrew in August 2024 to include trafficking minors and money laundering, with prosecutors identifying 35 alleged victims and alleging $2.8 million earned through sexual exploitation.
A Romanian appeals court ruled in December 2024 that procedural irregularities prevented the trafficking case from advancing to trial, sending it back to prosecutors. By April 2026, a Romanian court had lifted all remaining judicial control measures against the brothers, though the investigation remained open.
Saturday's arrest, captured on video and posted by Backgrid, came just as the event was set to begin, according to TMZ.
