Romanian prosecutors have announced charges against Andrew Tate, a notorious social media celebrity, for rape, human trafficking, and the formation of a criminal gang to exploit women. His brother, Tristan, and two Romanian women are also being charged. The Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism alleged the four defendants created a group in 2021 in order to commit the crime of human trafficking in Romania, the United States, and the UK. The DIICOT (anti-organized crime agency) claimed that seven female victims were deceived and taken to Romania where they were sexually exploited and subjected to physical abuse. One of the accused is said to have raped a woman twice in March 2022.
Andrew Tate, 36, has resided in Romania since 2017 and is an ex-professional kickboxer. Despite his professed innocence he has been widely condemned for his openly misogynistic statements online. His representative, Mateea Petrescu, affirmed the two men are willing to prove their innocence and has vowed full cooperation with authorities to provide the evidence to demonstrate this. As per Romanian law, a judge is allocated 60 days to review the files before defendants are taken to trial.
The brothers, both British-American dual citizens, were taken into custody in late December in Bucharest and were permitted to house arrest after their successful appeal in March. Tate was an internet sensation prior to his detainment with more than 6 million Twitter followers. He was banned from TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook for his inflammatory remarks such as women being accountable for being sexually assaulted. Last year, he was reinstated by the new Twitter CEO Elon Musk. Nevertheless, anti-extremism activists Hope Not Hate cautioned Tate continues to gain a massive following, particularly among young men and teenage boys who are beguiled by his boastful life-style.
According to the agency, the women were persuaded with false expressions of love and brought to Ilfov County, Romania. They were forced into porn and kept under strict surveillance and told they owed a debt. Prosecutors have also seized 15 luxury cars, luxury watches, and almost $3 million in cryptocurrencies owned by the Tates. Furthermore, there are some civil lawsuits in the UK against Tate, accusing him of sexual violence. In response, Tate adamantly denied any responsibility for disseminating misogyny and taking financial benefit from women.
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