BUCHAREST (AP) — Controversial social media personality Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan have been charged with rape, human trafficking and forming a gang to exploit women, prosecutors in Romania said Tuesday.
The Romanian agency against organized crime, DIICOT, said the prosecution brought the charges against the brothers, who have British and American nationalities, as well as two Romanian women.
In a statement, the agency said the four formed a criminal group in 2021 “in order to commit the crime of human trafficking” in Romania, the United States and Britain. Seven women, the file says, were tricked into Romania where they were sexually exploited and subjected to physical violence.
The brothers and the two Romanian women accused were arrested at the end of December in Bucharest, the Romanian capital. On March 31, a court accepted the brothers’ request to be placed under house arrest.
Tate, 36, is a professional kickboxing fighter with millions of followers on Twitter. He has been living in Romania since 2017, and has been banned from various social platforms due to his misogynistic and hate speech.
Tate insists that the Romanian authorities have no evidence against him and that the case is a political conspiracy to silence him.
The prosecution ordered the forfeiture of the Tate brothers’ assets, including 15 luxury cars, luxury watches and some $3 million they held in cryptocurrency, the agency statement said.
On Tuesday, Tate spokeswoman Mateea Petrescu said the brothers are willing to “prove their innocence and vindicate their reputations.”
“Tate’s legal team stands ready to fully cooperate with the appropriate authorities, presenting all necessary evidence in order to exonerate the brothers and expose any misrepresentation or false accusation,” Petrescu said.
