BUCHAREST, Romania – A Romanian court in Bucharest has placed controversial internet personality Andrew Tate under house arrest for 30 days as prosecutors delve into fresh allegations involving human trafficking of minors and sexual relations with a minor.
This decision by the Bucharest Tribunal follows the arrest of six individuals, including Tate, 37, and his brother Tristan Tate, 36, after police raids on four properties in Bucharest and nearby Ilfov county. Although prosecutors sought to keep the brothers in custody for 30 days, the court ultimately placed Andrew under house arrest while putting Tristan under judicial control, which involves travel restrictions and mandatory check-ins with the police.
A spokesperson for the brothers, Mateea Petrescu, commented on the ruling, stating that the court denied the prosecutors’ request based on the Tates’ “exemplary behavior” during previous preventative arrest in another case. The brothers have consistently denied all charges and are committed to proving their innocence.
The Tate brothers, both former kickboxing champions and dual British-U.S. citizens, are already awaiting trial in Romania for a separate human trafficking case, alongside two Romanian women. Formal indictments were issued last year.
In this new case, Romania’s anti-organized crime agency, DIICOT, is investigating a range of accusations including human trafficking of minors, sexual relations with a minor, forming a criminal organization, money laundering, and witness tampering. These alleged offenses are said to have occurred between 2014 and 2024.
DIICOT reports that the defendants used the manipulative “loverboy” tactic to exploit 34 vulnerable victims, coercing them into producing online pornographic content. The agency claims the Tates and their associates retained over $2.8 million (2.5 million euros) from these activities.
The investigation also reveals that a foreign national allegedly exploited a 17-year-old, making $1.5 million (1.3 million euros) from criminal activities, and engaged in repeated sexual acts with a 15-year-old, according to DIICOT.
Following the court’s decision, Andrew Tate spoke to reporters, asserting that many alleged victims have offered statements in their defense. He described the situation as a “set-up” and praised the judge for seeing through what he called “bullshit.”
Andrew Tate, who commands a following of 9.9 million on the social media platform X, has a history of expressing misogynistic views and claims that the allegations against him are part of a political conspiracy to silence him. He has previously faced bans on various social media platforms for hate speech and misogyny.
DIICOT emphasized that all individuals involved in the case are entitled to due process and the presumption of innocence, as provided by Romania’s criminal procedure code.
During Wednesday’s police raids, authorities seized a range of assets from the Tate brothers’ properties, including 16 luxury vehicles, a motorbike, cash, luxury watches, and data storage devices.
This latest case compounds the Tate brothers’ ongoing legal troubles. Following their arrest in December 2022, they spent three months in police custody before being placed under house arrest. Their movements were initially restricted to Bucharest and Ilfov county, and then to Romania as a whole.
In April, the Bucharest Tribunal confirmed that the prosecutors’ case against them met the legal criteria to proceed to trial, though a trial date has yet to be set.
Last month, a court overturned a previous ruling that allowed the Tates to leave Romania while awaiting trial. The new ruling requires them to remain within the country.
Additionally, in March, the Tate brothers appeared before the Bucharest Court of Appeal in connection with a separate case involving British authorities, who have issued arrest warrants for alleged sexual offenses in the U.K. between 2012 and 2015. The court granted the extradition request but only after legal proceedings in Romania have concluded.
Source: https://abcnews.go.com
