Influencer Andrew Tate charged with human trafficking, rape in Romania
- The former kickboxer, his brother and two Romanian women were also accused of setting up an organised criminal group in the country
- Giving tips on how to be successful, along with misogynist and sometimes violent maxims, his videos have made him one of the world’s best-known influencers
Online influencer Andrew Tate, his brother and two Romanian women were indicted in Romania on human trafficking and rape charges, prosecutors said on Tuesday, six months after they were detained.
The anti-organised crime prosecution’s unit (DIICOT) “ordered the indictment” of the four defendants for offences including “setting up an organised criminal group … trafficking in persons … rape”, they said.
Romanian police arrested Tate, 36, and his brother Tristan, 34, and two Romanian women late last year. Under preventive detention at first, they were placed under house arrest at the end of March.
They deny all the accusations.
“It was held that, in early 2021, the four defendants formed an organised criminal group with a view to committing the crime of trafficking in persons on the territory of Romania, but also in other countries, such as the United States and the United Kingdom,” DIICOT said in a statement.
In addition to the charges of human trafficking and rape – both “in continuous form” – the four are also indicted for “illegal access to a computer system, altering the integrity of computer data, instigation to assault or other violence and assault or other violence”.