A social media influencer and his brother are among six people detained on charges including human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of minors.
A Romanian court has placed Andrew Tate under house arrest, his representative announced. Tate was one of six people detained in connection with an investigation into human trafficking and sexual exploitation.
Andrew Tate, a former professional kickboxer, and his brother Tristan were among those detained on Wednesday for 24 hours following four house searches conducted by Romania’s anti-organised crime prosecuting unit, Diicot, in Ilfov county and the Bucharest municipality.
Diicot requested that the Bucharest court detain the Tate brothers for 30 days, but the judge ordered Andrew Tate to be placed under house arrest and Tristan under judicial control for the same period, their representative Mateea Petrescu said on Thursday.
“The Tates welcome the decision and strongly deny all allegations against them, asserting that the charges are unfounded and lack substantial evidence,” Petrescu stated.
The Tate brothers were previously indicted in mid-2023, along with two Romanian women, on charges of human trafficking, rape, and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women, charges they have denied.
Prior to their recent detention, the brothers were subject to a travel ban, allowing them to travel within Romania but prohibiting them from leaving the country.
Andrew Tate, who describes himself as a misogynist, has amassed millions of followers on social media by advocating an ultra-masculine lifestyle that many critics argue is demeaning to women.
A post on Tate’s account on X stated: “All they try to do is damage my name with complete bullshit,” without specifying who was being targeted.
Diicot’s statement revealed that six people were detained on charges of forming an organised criminal group, human trafficking, trafficking minors, sexual relations with a minor, and money laundering.
Diicot requested that three of the suspects remain in custody while another be placed under house arrest.
According to Diicot, two of the suspects used the “loverboy” method, which involves deceiving individuals into believing they are in a romantic relationship, to coerce 34 victims into producing pornography that was sold online, generating proceeds exceeding $2.8 million (£2.1 million) and 887,000 crypto tokens.
Diicot also alleges that one defendant forced a 17-year-old minor to create pornography in both Britain and Romania, yielding profits of $1.5 million, and repeatedly engaged in sexual relations with a 15-year-old victim.
