Florida AG starts inquiry into Tate brothers after they return to the US

Florida's new attorney general, James Uthmeier, announced on Thursday that his office has launched an inquiry into brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate to see if any of the crimes they are accused of committing in Romania also occurred within the state's jurisdiction.

The Tate brothers returned to the United States after their ban barring them from leaving Romania while awaiting trial was lifted. They took a private plane to Fort Lauderdale, where Andrew told waiting reporters after landing that they are innocent of the human trafficking charges.

Uthmeier was DeSantis' chief of staff.

The Romanian Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism said the case against the duo is still pending and that should they violate the in-place restrictions, there will be harsh penalties. They will have to return to Romania in four weeks.

Governor Ron DeSantis (R) said he was not involved in the brothers' ability to return to the United States, adding that Florida is "not a place where you're welcome with that type of conduct."

"I don't know how it came to this. We were not involved. We were not notified. I found out through the media," he said.

"Early this morning, I directed my office to work with our state law enforcement partners to conduct a preliminary inquiry into these individuals. Florida has zero tolerance for human trafficking and violence against women. If any of these alleged crimes trigger Florida jurisdiction, we will hold them accountable," Uthmeier explained.

Uthmeier was recently sworn in as the state's attorney general after Ashley Moody was appointed by DeSantis to the U.S. Senate to replace Marco Rubio, when Rubio was selected to be the federal secretary of state. Uthmeier was DeSantis' chief of staff.

The Tates' attorney reportedly said DeSantis should resign over his comments "if he has a problem with welcoming or protecting American citizens."

President Donald Trump told reporters during his meeting with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer that he was unaware of whether the United States pressured Romania to get the travel restrictions lifted.

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