Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan Tate, the British American online influencers who have faced a criminal investigation in Romania, left the country on Thursday for the United States, according to a person familiar with the situation.

The brothers boarded the flight on Thursday morning, according to the person, who asked not to be named because of the sensitive nature of the matter. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Tates have been held in Romania since 2022 in a protracted legal battle with prosecutors, who had earlier charged brothers with human trafficking and money laundering. The brothers, who have repeatedly denied all the allegations against them, successfully appealed that indictment, but prosecutors have since said they were investigating them on other charges of human trafficking and money laundering.

Andrew Tate is also facing criminal accusations of sexual misconduct in Britain. A Bucharest court had ruled that the brothers should be extradited to Britain after the resolution of the Romanian cases.

The brothers had been released from house arrest but remained in Romania under judicial control. Their lawyer had called them “political hostages.”

This is a developing story.