Masculinist influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan have been indicted in Romania for “organizing a criminal group, human trafficking and rape”. An announcement made this Tuesday, June 20 by the prosecution in charge of the fight against organized crime (DIICOT).
Andrew Tate was arrested at the end of December after several months of investigation. The 36-year-old American-British remains under house arrest, as does his 34-year-old brother, the DIICOT statement said. The two men are suspected of having formed a human trafficking network in early 2021 in Romania, but also in other countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom.
A total of seven victims have been identified by investigators. They were tricked by the Tate brothers, who faked feelings for them, before being forced “ through acts of physical violence and psychological coercion to the production of pornographic films, prosecutors detailed. Three of them filed civil suits.
Regarding the acts of rape, they were committed twice by one of the suspects, according to DIICOT. Two Romanian women, who had been arrested at the same time, were also charged. It is an ex-police officer as well as the girlfriend of Andrew Tate.
The two brothers, who claim their innocence, have been since the end of March in surviving residence near the Romanian capital, Bucharest, in connection with this case, after three months in pre-trial detention. Andrew Tate is also the subject of sexual violence charges in the United Kingdom, for acts dating from 2013 until 2016.
Masculinist theses and misogynistic remarks
The influencer first rose to prominence by appearing on UK reality show Big Brother in 2016. But he was quickly eliminated after a video emerged showing him hit a woman. He then turned to social media where he shows off, bulging muscles, smoking cigars, mesmerizing millions of teenagers with his luxury cars. He promotes masculinist theses and gives advice to men to help them become rich. His name is one of the most searched on Google.
He has been suspended in the past from several social networks for misogynistic remarks. His Twitter account, now followed by nearly seven million subscribers, was restored during the takeover of the social network by billionaire Elon Musk.
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(With AFP)