BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romanian authorities towed away a fleet of luxurious vehicles Saturday from the home of the divisive social media character Andrew Tate, days after he was positioned underneath home arrest following new human trafficking allegations.
Tate, 37, and his brother Tristan Tate, 36, each former kickboxers and twin British-U.S. residents with tens of millions of followers on social media and identified for his or her misogynistic views, are already awaiting trial in Romania, together with two ladies. They had been charged with human trafficking and forming a prison gang to use ladies. Andrew Tate was additionally charged with rape in that case.
The luxurious vehicles, impounded from their home close to the capital, included a Ferrari, a Lamborghini, a Mercedes-Benz, McLaren and a extra humble-looking basic purple Lada. The seizure got here two days after Romania’s anti-organized crime company, DIICOT, raided 4 properties in Bucharest and close by Ilfov county and detained six folks, together with the Tate brothers. Officers additionally confiscated 1000’s of {dollars} in money, laptops and knowledge storage drives.
One of the Tates’ attorneys, Georgiana Popa, instructed reporters outdoors the brothers’ home Saturday that the seizures are “legal, but unfounded” and mentioned it has been contested.
“The cars are not (the brothers’) property,” she mentioned, with out offering further data.
The Tate brothers appeared on Thursday at a Bucharest courtroom as prosecutors sought to remand them in custody. But a choose denied that request and positioned Andrew Tate underneath home and Tristan Tate underneath judicial management, which usually entails proscribing contact with sure folks and having to periodically report back to the police. The brothers’ spokesperson, Mateea Petrescu, mentioned that the Tates firmly deny all allegations in opposition to them and “remain steadfast in proving their innocence.”
In the new case, DIICOT, mentioned that it’s investigating allegations of human trafficking, together with the trafficking of minors, sexual activity with a minor, forming an organized prison group, cash laundering, and influencing statements.
The company additionally mentioned the defendants used the coercive “loverboy” methodology to use 34 weak victims, who had been pressured to supply pornographic supplies for a payment on-line, and that greater than $2.8 million (2.5 million euros) it generated was stored by the defendants.
An unnamed overseas man additionally sexually exploited a 17-year-old foreigner, DIICOT alleges, and mentioned that he stored the entire $1.5 million (1.3 million euros) made from the prison exercise. The identical man “repeatedly had sexual relations and acts” with a 15-year-old, the company alleges.
Andrew Tate, who has 9.9 million X followers, has repeatedly claimed that prosecutors don’t have any proof in opposition to him and that there’s a political conspiracy to silence him. He was beforehand banned from numerous social media platforms for misogynistic views and hate speech.
Authorities have beforehand confiscated a number of the brothers’ property.
After the Tates’ arrest in December 2022, authorities seized 15 luxurious automobiles, 14 designer watches and money in a number of currencies. The complete worth of the products, authorities mentioned on the time, was estimated at 3.6 million euros ($3.9 million). In April, the Bucharest Tribunal dominated the prosecutors’ case file in opposition to them met the authorized standards and {that a} trial might begin, however didn’t set a date for it to start.
Last month, a courtroom overturned an earlier determination that allowed the Tate brothers to depart Romania as they await trial. The courtroom’s determination is remaining and might’t be appealed.
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Stephen McGrath reported from Sighisoara.
