The Tate brothers complain of shocking prison conditions in court as they fight sex crime charges
Tristan Tate told a US judge he is desperate to be released from jail, describing a cramped cell where he says he has been dealing with ants, roaches and a diet of candy and chips.
The 38-year-old made the surprise decision to testify at his bail hearing in Miami on Thursday, despite saying he was doing so against the advice of his own attorneys.
Tate and his brother Andrew, 39, are fighting extradition to the United Kingdom after prosecutors filed additional charges accusing them of rape and other sexual offenses. US Magistrate Judge Lauren Louis is considering whether the brothers should be granted bail while the extradition proceedings continue.
Tate told the court he spends his days inside a cell measuring around 5 by 11 feet, containing a bunk bed and toilet, NBC News reports.
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"There are ants, there are roaches," he said, adding that he had been subjected to what he described as 'chemical attacks'.
He also complained about the food available to him, saying his daily diet largely consists of candy and chips.
"It's death by scurvy instead of death by starvation," Tate told the judge.
Why are Andrew and Tristan Tate facing extradition?
The brothers were taken into custody in Miami in July after UK prosecutors filed new charges against them.
They are already facing allegations relating to offenses said to have taken place between 2010 and 2017.
The original UK case involved 21 counts including rape, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and arranging or facilitating travel for sexual exploitation. Andrew Tate was also charged with controlling prostitution.
The newer allegations significantly expand the case.
Andrew faces seven additional counts of rape, 15 counts relating to making or distributing indecent images of children and four counts of possessing extreme pornography.
Tristan faces six additional charges involving rape, sexual assault and sexual exploitation.
Both brothers deny the allegations.
Their lawyer Howard Srebnick argued that neither man poses a flight risk, telling the court they have attended court proceedings 'each and every time' in both the UK and Romania.
Srebnick also argued that keeping the brothers detained places an undue burden on them, pointing to Tristan's child with special needs.
What did Andrew Tate's girlfriend say in court?
Andrew Tate's girlfriend, Natasha Sesay, also testified about his character during Thursday's hearing.
Sesay said she has known Andrew for around five and a half years and that they have an eight-and-a-half-month-old child together. She told the court another baby is due in about a month.
"It's a very different character from the person you see online versus the one I know personally," Sesay said, describing him as 'a great father to his children.'
Srebnick similarly argued that Andrew's controversial online persona should not be confused with his private character. He acknowledged that the influencer, who has called himself 'Top G', uses vulgar language and promotes what the lawyer described as outrageous views.
But, Srebnick said, 'that is the character.'
Prosecutors in the UK have opposed bail, arguing that statements attributed to the brothers indicate they could attempt to evade justice. They have also alleged the pair could interfere with witnesses.
The prosecution filing further claimed the brothers repeatedly sought the identities of their accusers in exchange for a security payment worth tens of thousands of pounds and a promise that the complainants would not be publicly identified. Prosecutors rejected the proposal, citing concerns about protecting the accusers.
Defense attorney Joe McBride rejected those claims, saying the filing 'drips falsehood from every page'.
The brothers also face criminal proceedings in Romania, where they have denied allegations including organized crime, human trafficking, trafficking of minors and money laundering.
The bail hearing is ongoing.
Thomas Bamford