MIAMI (VINnews) — A federal magistrate judge ruled Wednesday that social media personalities Andrew Tate and Tristan Tate must remain in custody in Florida while they contest extradition to the United Kingdom on rape, sex trafficking and related charges.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Lauren Louis denied the brothers’ request for release, finding they failed to show they are not a flight risk or a danger to the community and that no special circumstances justified bail. The written order followed an hours-long hearing last month at the federal courthouse in Miami.

Louis wrote that the brothers have an “exceptional capacity to flee the jurisdiction,” citing their international travel, limited ties to Miami and family connections overseas. She described them as “quintessential flight risks,” even if the lavish wealth they have advertised online is overstated.

Andrew Tate, 39, and Tristan Tate, 38, are dual U.S. and British citizens. U.S. marshals arrested them July 18 in Miami on a provisional warrant tied to Britain’s extradition request. They have been held since then at the Federal Detention Center in Miami.

British prosecutors say the brothers face a combined 59 charges involving seven alleged victims. Andrew Tate is charged with 42 counts and Tristan Tate with 17, including rape, assault and facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation. Additional counts against Andrew Tate include making or distributing indecent images of children and possessing extreme pornography. The alleged conduct is said to date from about 2010 to 2017.

The brothers deny all of the allegations.

Defense attorney Joe McBride criticized the ruling, saying the men have been detained since mid-July on a foreign accusation that Britain has not yet been required to support with evidence. “Detention first. Evidence later, maybe,” he said in a statement. Lawyers for the Tates had argued that their high public profile would make flight impractical and that their online displays of wealth were theatrical.

The United Kingdom has until Sept. 16 to submit a formal extradition package to the U.S. State Department. No date has been set for an extradition hearing. The process could take months.

The brothers also face separate criminal proceedings in Romania stemming from a 2022 investigation into human trafficking and related offenses. They have previously said those cases, and the new British charges, are politically motivated.