Andrew Tate landed in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in late February with his brother Tristan after Romanian authorities lifted a travel ban that had kept them in the country for years. The brothers, facing human trafficking and rape charges in Romania, had their electronic devices seized by Customs and Border Protection officials upon arrival. Within days, a White House official intervened to push for the return of those devices, according to interviews and records reviewed by ProPublica.

White House Intervention of Andrew Tate

Paul Ingrassia, a lawyer who previously represented the Tate brothers before joining the White House as its Department of Homeland Security liaison, told senior DHS officials to return the devices. In a written request obtained by ProPublica, Ingrassia criticized the seizure as a poor use of resources and emphasized the directive came from the White House.

The intervention caused alarm among DHS officials who worried they could be interfering with a federal investigation. John Tobon, a retired assistant director for Homeland Security Investigations, said he had never heard of such White House involvement in his 30 years of work, calling it an intimidation tactic.

The devices were examined by federal agents with Homeland Security Investigations after being seized, according to officials involved. The Tate brothers have not had their devices returned, and it remains unclear whether any investigation into their contents continues. Joseph McBride, the brothers’ lawyer, said his clients are innocent and there was no illicit material on their electronics. Shortly after the Tates arrived, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and state Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Florida authorities had launched an investigation into the brothers, with Uthmeier calling their behavior atrocious.

The intervention marked another instance of those around Trump taking interest in legal issues involving the brothers. In February, Romania’s foreign minister said presidential envoy Richard Grenell told him at an international security conference in Germany that he remained interested in the fate of the Tates. Grenell told the Financial Times he had no substantive conversation with the minister but supported the Tate brothers as evident by his publicly available tweets. Ingrassia withdrew from his nomination to lead the Office of Special Counsel after Politico reported he sent racist text messages to fellow Republicans and described himself as having a Nazi streak.

Tate Brothers Legal Charges

Andrew Tate faces criminal charges in three countries. In Romania, prosecutors charged the brothers in June 2023 with rape, human trafficking, and forming an organized crime group to sexually exploit women. The initial charges were sent back to prosecutors by a court because of procedural issues. Authorities also authorized additional charges in August 2024, including trafficking minors, sex with a minor, money laundering, and attempting to influence a witness.

In the United Kingdom, the Crown Prosecution Service brought 21 charges against the brothers in May 2025. Andrew faces 10 charges relating to three alleged victims, including rape, actual bodily harm, human trafficking, and controlling prostitution for gain.

Tristan faces 11 charges pertaining to one alleged victim, including rape, actual bodily harm, and human trafficking. The CPS said it authorized the charges before an arrest warrant was issued in 2024 to bring them to the UK from Romania. Romanian courts ordered their extradition to the UK, but the local criminal issues in Romania must be resolved first.

Andrew Tate’s Upcoming Fight

Despite the legal troubles, Tate announced plans to make his boxing debut on December 20, 2025, in Dubai. He will face Chase DeMoor, the current Misfits heavyweight champion, at the Coca Cola Arena. The event is titled The Fight Before Christmas. In a promotional video, Tate claimed he replaced YouTube star KSI as CEO of Misfits Boxing, though this appears to be part of the event’s marketing.

Misfits Boxing president Mams Taylor said the move made sense because KSI’s focus is on multiple careers including Prime, music, YouTube, and Britain’s Got Talent.

Tate last fought in December 2020, winning a kickboxing match against Cosmin Lingurar via second-round technical knockout in Bucharest. Questions have persisted about the level of competition Tate faced during his kickboxing career. Critics point out that ISKA was not considered the top tier of kickboxing, which is dominated by organizations like K-1 and Glory.

His most notable setback came in 2016 when Ibrahim El Boustati stopped him in the first round at Enfusion Live 44. El Boustati landed a left hook that caused Tate to signal discomfort to the referee, who stopped the fight. Tate claimed he suffered an eye injury, but El Boustati later said he believed Tate exaggerated the injury and accused him of faking it to protect his reputation.​

Records show Tate fought primarily in full contact kickboxing under ISKA rules, winning three world titles in that format. He challenged in higher-level organizations such as It’s Showtime but came up short. After the El Boustati loss in 2016, Tate competed three more times in Romania between February and December 2020, winning all three fights via stoppage against lower-level opponents.

Given Tate’s legal troubles and controversial statements about women, his upcoming fight is surrounded with controversy. Tate has described himself as a misogynist and made claims that women cannot drive, belong in the home, and are a man’s property. He was removed from the UK version of Big Brother in 2016 when a video emerged showing him whipping a woman with a belt.

The combination of White House intervention on his behalf, pending criminal charges in multiple countries, and a high-profile return to combat sports has made Tate one of the most controversial figures in sports and politics.