Andrew Tate, a disgraced influencer, is set to face trial in Romania on charges of rape, human trafficking, and participation in a criminal gang that exploited women sexually, according to authorities. Along with his brother Tristan and two other individuals, he has been placed under house arrest following a police investigation that led to their arrest in December. All the suspects deny the allegations.
The organized crime agency of Romania, DIICOT, announced that it would bring four individuals to court, including two British-American dual nationals and two Romanians. Although the authorities did not explicitly name Andrew and Tristan Tate, a spokesperson for the brothers confirmed their indictment.
Mateea Petrescu, the spokesperson, stated in a release, “While the news comes as no surprise, we view it as an opportunity to prove their innocence and restore their reputation.” Petrescu added that the indictment would enable the Tates and their legal team to present a comprehensive body of evidence collected over time to substantiate their claims of innocence. The date for the trial has not yet been scheduled.
According to the crime agency’s statement, the prosecutors allege that the defendants formed a criminal gang at the beginning of 2021 to engage in human trafficking activities across Romania, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The statement further claims that the four men used a tactic known as “the loverboy method,” misleading seven victims into believing they were entering into genuine romantic relationships before bringing them to Romania.
The victims were subsequently taken to residences in Ilfov county, near Bucharest, where they endured physical violence, mental coercion, and sexual exploitation, as per DIICOT. Three of the victims have become civil parties in the case against the Tates and their associates.
One of the defendants, who remains unnamed, is accused of accessing a digital device belonging to one of the victims and posting compromising pictures of her, according to DIICOT.
The indictment also includes a list of properties and assets that prosecutors seek permission to seize. This list comprises 15 properties, 15 luxury cars, 2 metal ingots, a medal, and approximately $385 million worth of Bitcoin, a virtual currency.
In January, Romanian authorities announced that they had confiscated luxury cars and other assets worth $3.9 million from a compound near Bucharest as part of the investigation involving Andrew Tate. The brothers were initially remanded in custody but were later released on house arrest in March.
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Andrew Tate, a former kickboxer, had amassed a large social media following by espousing provocative and often misogynistic views regarding women and masculinity. Educators worldwide have grappled with addressing the influence of his extreme views on young individuals.
Although banned from a number of social media platforms last year, Tate has since been reinstated on Twitter, where he continues to update his followers on his legal situation. On Tuesday, he retweeted a post from the Twitter account @Tatenews_ stating, “Up until now, no judge has reviewed the evidence in the case file. It was all based on arguments to keep the Tate brothers in jail and under house arrest.”
