The Tate brothers left Romania on Thursday morning, heading directly to Florida on a private plane from Baneasa Airport. They have already landed at Fort Lauderdale Airport.
The two brothers requested to leave Romania and travel to the USA, and the prosecutor granted the request.
BoardingPass confirms that a private Gulfstream G550 jet took off from Bucharest bound for Fort Lauderdale (USA). The plane landed in Bucharest at 3:05 local time from Dubai (United Arab Emirates), and at 6:05, it departed for the USA.
UPDATE 1: Around 6:00 PM, Romanian time, brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate landed in Fort Lauderdale. After unloading their luggage, Andrew and Tristan Tate disembarked from the plane and headed towards a nearby building.
UPDATE 2: Governor Ron DeSantis stated in a press release that Florida does not welcome Andrew and Tristan Tate back from Romania with open arms, and Attorney General James Uthmeier is exploring legal options to handle the situation. "No. Florida is not a place where you are welcome with such behavior. Attorney General James Uthmeier is exploring the legal and jurisdictional levers we have at our disposal to manage this situation. I don't know how we got here. We were not involved. We were not informed. We found out from the press," said Ron DeSantis.
Ioan Gliga, the brothers' lawyer, stated that the brothers left Romania on Thursday morning and are flying to Florida. "They no longer have a travel ban... At the request of the lawyers, the prosecutor modified the content of the previously imposed obligations," Gliga said on CNN.
Clarifications
Prosecutors specify that brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate are under judicial control, but their request to modify the obligation of not leaving Romania was granted.
The institution emphasizes that the other obligations imposed by prosecutors, including appearing before judicial authorities upon summons, with a warning that a willful breach of their obligations may lead to replacing judicial control with a more severe deprivation of liberty measure, have been maintained.
"Regarding the two defendants, individuals with dual American and British citizenship, under judicial control in the criminal cases being investigated by DIICOT prosecutors - Central Structure, we make the following clarification: the request to revoke the preventive measure of judicial control was rejected, and it is maintained in both cases under criminal prosecution," The Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism highlights.
Financial Times Reports Trump Administration Pressuring Romania to Lift Restrictions on Tate Brothers
Financial Times reported last week that the Trump administration is pressuring Romanian authorities to lift travel restrictions on misogynistic influencer Andrew Tate, a supporter of the US president, who is facing criminal charges in Bucharest.
The publication claimed that the Tate brothers' case was first raised by American officials in a phone call with Romanian government representatives, and then by Trump's special envoy, Richard Grenell, when he met with the Romanian Foreign Minister at the Munich Security Conference, according to statements from three individuals familiar with the situation.
A fourth person stated that the return of the Tate brothers' passports was requested and they were allowed to travel while awaiting the completion of judicial procedures.
Romanian Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu declined to comment on the exchange with Grenell. His spokesperson told Financial Times that Hurezeanu initiated the meeting and that the two "have known each other for a long time," as both were ambassadors in Berlin during Trump's first presidency. The spokesperson did not comment on their specific discussions but stated, "Romanian courts are independent and operate based on the law; there is a fair process."
Richard Grenell, on the other hand, said he had "no substantial conversation" with Emil Hurezeanu, who "saw him in the hallway" at Munich and "requested a meeting."
Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu stated that the US has not made any requests to Romania regarding the Tate brothers.
Andrew and his brother Tristan Tate, who hold dual American and British citizenship, were arrested in Romania in 2022 and charged with human trafficking, money laundering, and leading an organized criminal group. They claim innocence.