Andrew Tate.Photo:MIHAI BARBU / AFP
MIHAI BARBU / AFP
Under house arrest since late March, Andrew Tatenow faces charges of rape, human trafficking and forming a criminal group to sexually exploit womenin Romania, authorities announced Tuesday.The social media influencer, 36, appeared in a Bucharest courtroom on Wednesday morning to deny the charges and argue that he and his brother Tristan, 34, should remain under house arrest rather than in police custody, according toThe New York Times.
The brothers were previously held in a Romanian prison from December 2022 until being moved to house arrest on March 31, theTimesreports.
On Tuesday when their chargeswere announced, the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) in Romania alleged Tate and his co-defendants created a criminal group in 2021 to commit human trafficking in Romania, the United States and Great Britain.
Tate, who has gained notoriety on social media for expressing misogynistic views and flaunting a lavish lifestyle, and his alleged conspirators group are accused of misleading seven alleged victims with “the intention to establish a marriage/cohabitation relationship and the existence of real feelings of love,” the DIICOT release said. Instead, according to the release, the group allegedly coerced the victims through physical violence into performing pornographic acts.
Here are five things to know about Tate and the case against him.
Andrew Tate.Alex Nicodim/Anadolu Agency
Alex Nicodim/Anadolu Agency
- Tate First Rose to Fame onBig Brother
A former kickboxer, Tate briefly appeared onBig Brother(UK) in 2016 before he was kicked off the reality show when a video showed him hitting a woman with a belt. Both said the act was consensual, according to theTimes.
However,Vice World Newsreported earlier this year that Tate was removed from the show because producers were made aware he was under investigation for sexual assault and physical abuse, allegations Tate again denied.
Tate has nearly seven million followers on Twitter, where he often shares chauvinist statements and opinions, encouraging his followers to follow his misogynistic and wealth-driven lifestyle. The British-American influencer has been banned from other major social media platforms for hate speech, including TikTok, YouTube and Facebook. Though Tate was previously banned from Twitter, his profile was reinstated when Elon Musk took over the platform last November.
- A History of Hate Speech
The online influencer has used his large social media following to spread divisive and disparaging messages. In the past, Tate has claimed women should be held partially responsible for rape and said he believes women belong to men, according toNBC News.
Andrew Tate.Daniel MIHAILESCU / AFP
Daniel MIHAILESCU / AFP
- The Allegations Against Him
Romanian authorities allege Tate, his brother, and two Romanian women conspired together to “commit the crime of human trafficking,” lying to several women they later brought to Romania under false pretenses before assaulting and exploiting them through physical violence and persuasion, according toThe Associated Press.
That persuasion allegedly includes intimidating the women, constantly surveilling them, and controlling behavior that included claiming the women had alleged debts, according to the DIICOT statement.
When Tate was first arrested last December, authorities said in a press release that alleged victims were made to believe they were entering into a marriage or a cohabitation relationship, but instead they were later transported to buildings in the Ilfov County, the area that surrounds Bucharest, where they were forced through physical violence and mental coercion into performing pornographic acts which were then disseminated through social media.
The DIICOT statement also alleges that one defendant raped a woman twice in March 2022.
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- What’s Next?
Denying the charges, Tate’s legal team tells PEOPLE the divisive social media figure will “embrace the opportunity it presents to demonstrate their innocence and vindicate their reputation,” likely pointing to an upcoming trial. TheTimesreports a ruling on the brothers’ house arrest will come Friday.
Both the human-trafficking and rape charges include sentences of up to ten years in prison, if convicted.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go torainn.org.
source: people.com
