Andrew and Tristan Tate are being investigated for allegedly “having sex with a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old girl who was trafficked to the UK to make porn films.”
The Tate brothers are being investigated over allegations that a 17-year-old girl was kidnapped and brought to Britain and forced to perform “sexual acts in order to produce pornographic material.”
Romania’s Directorate for the Investigation of Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) said on Thursday that one of the alleged victims, 17, had been “misled” and placed in several locations in Romania and the UK.
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It is alleged that she was forced to perform sexual acts before pornographic material was published on various websites.
Romanian police also claim that a defendant had “sexual relations” with a 15-year-old girl starting in December 2020.
Two defendants are accused by prosecutors of purchasing luxury cars “in the names of people close to them” to conceal how they made profits through human trafficking, authorities say.
They allegedly used the “loverboy” method: they made girls fall in love with them, recruited them and sent them to different houses to shoot porn.
It is claimed that the show would then be broadcast on multiple platforms and viewers would have to pay a fee for it.
The Romanian authorities speak of a total of 34 alleged victims, all of whom were in an “obvious state of vulnerability”.
Prosecutors allege the defendants made $2.8 million (£2.1 million) in profits “through the sexual exploitation of victims.”
Since their first arrest in December 2022, the Tate brothers have vehemently denied all allegations against them.
Andrew believes they are in the crosshairs of the “Matrix” – an institution that, as he describes it, punishes those who step out of line.
The brothers were arrested on Wednesday evening after Romanian police searched four properties across the country.
They are legally allowed to detain the accused for 24 hours, but require the approval of a judge for a longer detention (a so-called preventive detention).
If a judge allows preventive detention, it means that the inmates’ detention may last for an additional 30 days.
The DIICOT statement said: “During the house searches, amounts of approximately 26,000 euros, 81,000 lei, 5,800 GBP and 6,400 USD, two luxury watches, laptops, data storage devices, documents and other evidence were identified and seized.”
“An insurance seizure was initiated for 16 cars and a motorcycle, all of them luxury class.”
Andrew, the most famous brother, is a former kickboxer who rose to fame by presenting an ultra-masculine persona on social media.
The 37-year-old self-proclaimed misogynist is a polarizing figure. She infamously said that women should “take responsibility” for sexual assault.
He was banned from several social media platforms but recently made a comeback on X, where he has nearly 10 million followers.
Andrew told reporters prosecutors were “desperate” when he was forcibly dragged into a police car on Wednesday night.
A Bucharest court recently banned the brothers from leaving Romania while they await trial on human trafficking charges.
This overturned a previous decision in July that had allowed them to travel within the EU.
A date for the hearing has not yet been set.
The men, who grew up in Luton and are British and American citizens, are also wanted in the UK after four women accused them of rape and sexual assault.
The Bucharest Court of Appeal has granted a British extradition request to extradite her to the United Kingdom following the conclusion of her trial in Romania.
Timeline of Tate’s arrest
By Henry Holloway
ANDREW and Tristan Tate were arrested in December 2022 and later charged with human trafficking, rape and forming an organized criminal group for the sexual exploitation of women.
Here is a timeline of all the events since her arrest:
29 DECEMBER 2022: The brothers are being held in Romania for 30 days together with two women. They are accused of human trafficking, rape and forming an organized criminal group.
3 JANUARY 2023: Romanian authorities confiscate Andrew’s luxury car collection.
January 8, 2023: Andrew Tate’s account posted a cryptic tweet that reads: “The Matrix attacked me. But they get it wrong, you can’t kill an idea. Hard to kill.”
January 10, 2023: Andrew appears in court in Bucharest to appeal his detention, but the judge rules against him.
31 MARCH 2023: The Bucharest Court of Appeal overturns a judge’s decision to extend Andrew’s prison sentence for a fourth time. Andrew is placed under house arrest.
20 JUNE 2023: The brothers are accused of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang for the sexual exploitation of women.
13 JULY 2023: The Tates file a $5 million lawsuit against a Florida woman who falsely accused them of holding them captive in Romania – which led to her arrest there on human trafficking charges.
4 AUGUST 2023: Andrew wins an appeal and is released from house arrest in Romania while awaiting trial on human trafficking charges.
11 DECEMBER 2023: A judge rejects the Tate brothers’ appeal for restitution of assets worth £10 million.
8 JANUARY 2024: The Bucharest Court of Appeal overturns the verdict; the brothers get their assets back.
12 MARCH 2024: Both brothers were arrested in Romania on allegations of sexual assault in the UK in 2012 and 2015. They deny the allegations.
22 MARCH 2024: The brothers lost their appeal against the return of £10 million worth of assets seized by police.
26 APRIL 2024: A Romanian court has ruled that Andrew and Tristan will be brought to trial as part of ongoing rape and human trafficking investigations.
5 JULY 2024: Courts rule that Andrew and Tristan can leave Romania – but must stay in the EU
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