STATEMENT OF JOSEPH D. MCBRIDE REGARDING THE ROMANIAN PROCEEDINGS Romania has active criminal proceedings involving Andrew and Tristan Tate. Romanian counsel has advised the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida that Andrew and Tristan must either be permitted to return to Romania to defend those proceedings or be released on bond in the United States so they can meaningfully prepare their Romanian defense with counsel. Andrew and Tristan’s continued incarceration at FDC Miami is highly prejudicial. At minimum, Andrew and Tristan should be released to home confinement while the Romanian proceedings and the United Kingdom’s extradition request are resolved. Andrew and Tristan’s incarceration makes meaningful communication with Romanian counsel and preparation for the Romanian proceedings practically impossible. Access to Romanian counsel is severely restricted. The time difference between Miami and Romania further limits attorney-client communications. Counsel must also navigate substantial attorney-client privilege concerns when communicating with Andrew and Tristan from a federal detention facility. The volume of material makes these restrictions even more prejudicial. The photograph accompanying this statement shows only a portion of the first Romanian case file, which consisted of approximately 78 volumes. The new Romanian file is approximately 159 volumes. Andrew, Tristan, and Romanian counsel must be able to review this material together, analyze the evidence, prepare defenses, and make critical decisions concerning active criminal proceedings. That cannot be accomplished while Andrew and Tristan are incarcerated at FDC Miami. These are extraordinary circumstances. Andrew and Tristan are American citizens incarcerated in the United States at the request of the United Kingdom while Romania, a separate sovereign and NATO ally, has active criminal proceedings requiring Andrew and Tristan to participate in the preparation and defense of their cases. These competing international judicial proceedings constitute special circumstances that weigh heavily in favor of release. The United Kingdom is not the only sovereign with a legitimate judicial claim to Andrew and Tristan’s presence. Romania is an EU member, a NATO ally, and the country where these matters have been litigated for years. Any attempt to extradite Andrew and Tristan from the United States to the United Kingdom must account for the pending Romanian proceedings and Andrew and Tristan’s right to be present in Romania to defend themselves. Jailing Andrew and Tristan in the United States while two allied nations assert competing claims to Andrew and Tristan’s presence compounds the prejudice.

I'd rather be a stripper than a vibe coder