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Social media star Andrew Tate charged with rape and human trafficking in Romania

Published:Tuesday | June 20, 2023 | 12:40 PM
Andrew Tate touches his beard after leaving the Bucharest Tribunal in Bucharest, Romania, Friday, April 21, 2023. Romanian prosecutors charged on Tuesday, June 20, 2023, the Tate brothers and two other suspects with human trafficking, rape, and organising a criminal group for the sexual exploitation of women. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Andrew Tate, a social media personality known for expressing misogynistic views online, was charged in Romania with rape, human trafficking, and forming a criminal gang to exploit women, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Prosecutors also filed charges against Tate's brother, Tristan, and two Romanian women in a court in Bucharest, Romania's capital, the nation's anti-organised crime agency said.

In a statement, the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism alleged the four defendants formed a criminal group in 2021 “in order to commit the crime of human trafficking” in Romania as well as the United States and Britain.

The agency alleged that seven female victims were misled and transported to Romania, where they were sexually exploited and subjected to physical violence by the gang.

One defendant is accused of raping a woman twice in March 2022, according to the statement.

Tate, 36, has resided in Romania since 2017. The former professional kickboxer has repeatedly claimed Romanian prosecutors have no evidence and alleged the case is a political conspiracy designed to silence him.

Tate's spokesperson, Mateea Petrescu, said Tuesday that the brothers were prepared to “demonstrate their innocence and vindicate their reputation.”

The two men are expected to attend a hearing in Bucharest on Wednesday morning, she added.

“Tate's legal team is prepared to cooperate fully with the appropriate authorities, presenting all necessary evidence to exonerate the brothers and expose any misinterpretations or false accusations,” Petrescu said.

Under Romanian law, a judge has up to 60 days to assess the files in the case before defendants are sent to trial.

The Tate brothers, who are dual British-US citizens, and the two Romanian suspects were detained in late December in Bucharest. The brothers won an appeal on March 31 to be moved from police custody to house arrest.

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