wed an investigation by the UK Crown Prosecution Service, which said the alleged offenses were reported by seven women and took place in the East of England, north of London, between 2010 and 2017.

The brothers were already facing rape and human trafficking charges in the UK over allegations from 2012 to 2015. The new charges were brought after Bedfordshire Police investigated reports made by four additional women, police said.

Andrew Tate also faces a civil suit in the UK from four women who have accused him of rape and coercive control.

In Romania, the brothers face charges of human trafficking and forming an organized criminal group to sexually exploit women.

The state of Florida is also conducting an active criminal investigation into the brothers. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier acknowledged the Tates' arrest on X.

The brothers have denied all the allegations against them.

How does extradition work?

After their 2022 arrest in Romania, the Tate brothers were prohibited from leaving the country. But after Romanian authorities lifted the travel restrictions on the pair last year, they flew to Florida on a private jet.

They were arrested by US Marshals in Miami following the UK's extradition request. The US and the UK are part of an extradition treaty, meaning each country has agreed to surrender individuals wanted by the other for prosecution.

The extradition process requires a hearing before a US judge to determine whether legal requirements are met, and the brothers have the option to mount legal challenges.

The Justice Department confirmed the arrests  were made in accordance with the treaties and law enforcement agreements governing Justice Department extraditions. 

McBride, an attorney for the brothers, criticized the timing of the UK's extradition request over the weekend.

 There is a long-standing agreement between the UK and Romanian governments that the UK would not seek extradition while the Romanian proceedings are pending,  McBride said.  Those proceedings are ongoing right now. That agreement exists because no nation gets to trample the judicial sovereignty of another for political convenience. 

Romanian courts ruled in 2024 the brothers should be extradited to the UK once their Romanian case concludes, British prosecutors previously said.

Any agreement or understanding between British and Romanian authorities would not legally bind the United States, which was not a party to it.

A strengthened US-UK extradition treaty took effect in 2007, and the State Department has since granted nearly every British extradition request.

A federal judge must first determine whether the treaty's requirements are met, but the final decision rests with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who retains discretion to deny extradition.

The brothers remain in Miami after their arrest. The extradition process can take months, depending on what challenges are brought, legal experts said.

In a statement posted to X Sunday, McBride said the brothers were arrested for their politics and are being held in solitary confinement.

CNN has reached out to the Florida Attorney General for information about where and how the brothers are being held.

The-CNN-Wire

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