BUCHAREST: Prosecutors in Romania indicted online influencer Andrew Tate, his brother, and two women on human trafficking and rape charges on Tuesday, six months after they were arrested.
Tate, 36, his brother Tristan, 34, and the two Romanian women were arrested late last year. They were initially held under preventive detention before being placed under house arrest at the end of March. The DIICOT’s anti-organized crime prosecution unit “ordered the indictment” of the four defendants for offenses such as “establishing an organized criminal group… trafficking in persons… rape,” according to the statement.
All of the accusations are denied by the brothers. They would face years in prison if proven guilty. In a statement, Tate’s PR team said that while this news is undoubtedly predictable, we embrace the opportunity it offers to demonstrate their innocence and vindicate their reputation. According to the statement the indictment also “allows them to present a comprehensive body of evidence, diligently collected and prepared over time, which will undoubtedly substantiate the brothers’ claims of innocence. Prosecutors asked that the defendants remain under house arrest, which is now subject to a court ruling.
It was held that, in early 2021, the four defendants formed an organized criminal group with the intent of committing the crime of trafficking in persons not only on the territory of Romania but also in other countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom,” DIICOT said in a statement. The organized criminal organization sexually exploited seven victims “through acts of physical violence and psychological coercion,” according to DIICOT. DIICOT claimed that they were sexually exploited by members of the group by compelling them to engage in pornographic acts in order to produce and disseminate such content via social media platforms.
The seven victims, who were allegedly taken to and held on the outskirts of Bucharest, were allegedly recruited via the “loverboy method,” with the group tricking them with false sentiments of love and long-term relationships. According to DIICOT, the four are charged with “illegal access to a computer system, altering the integrity of computer data, instigation to assault or other violence, and assault or other violence” in addition to human trafficking and rape.
Andrew Tate and brothers
Romanian police raided several homes associated with the Tate brothers and seized assets, including a collection of luxury cars, as part of the investigation. Andrew Tate, a dual US and British citizen, relocated to Romania years ago after originally beginning a webcam business in the UK. Tate was in the British reality television show “Big Brother” in 2016, but was removed after a video surfaced showing him assaulting a woman. He then took to social media to spread his controversial views. He presently has 6.9 million Twitter followers. His videos on how to be successful, as well as misogynist and occasionally violent maxims, have made him one of the world’s most well-known influencers.
