Found an error?
Report now
Andrew Tate speaks to the media as he is taken for questioning following a police raid on his home on the outskirts of Bucharest.
Vadim Ghirda/AP/dpa
The misogynistic influencer Andrew Tate has been placed under house arrest again by a court in Bucharest. He and his brother Tristan are now alleged to have sexually exploited 34 women instead of seven.
A court in Bucharest has once again ordered house arrest for the British-American influencer Andrew Tate (37).
His brother Tristan (36) was released on conditional release following the renewed arrest of the two brothers, the news portal "news.ro" reported, citing a lawyer for the two men. Officials from the special public prosecutor's office had arrested the brothers on Wednesday.
In Romania, the Tates are accused of forcing young women to participate in commercially distributed sex videos. They used manipulation techniques such as the so-called loverboy method to make the girls dependent on them. They and two suspected accomplices were first arrested near Bucharest on December 30, 2022. Three months later, this measure was changed to house arrest. The defendants have been at large since August 2023 - with the restriction that they were not allowed to leave Romania.
In connection with the new arrest two days ago, the special public prosecutor's office announced that it had extended the investigation. Instead of the previous 7, it had now identified 34 women who were allegedly forced by the suspects to produce pornographic content. One of the victims was a 15-year-old girl.
By exploiting the women, the brothers are said to have made a criminal profit of at least 2.8 million dollars (2.5 million euros). In addition, the authorities are now investigating four instead of two other people who allegedly helped the Tates with their activities. The two brothers deny all allegations.
During house searches that preceded the arrest, officers confiscated 16 luxury cars and a motorcycle belonging to the Tates. Large amounts of money were also seized during the raid on four houses in Bucharest and the surrounding area. The public prosecutor's office had applied to the court for the two brothers to be remanded in custody for 30 days. The judge rejected this on the grounds that they had complied with the previous measures ordered by the court in an exemplary manner, the lawyer said, according to news.ro.
The brothers and two alleged accomplices were already charged with rape, human trafficking and forming a criminal organization in June 2023. There is currently no prospect of a trial starting. The investigations, which have now been extended, could lead to a new indictment.
Andrew Tate, a former kickboxer, had reached millions of teenagers and young men with misogynistic statements on social networks. His brother Tristan assisted him. Most recently, the two were active on social networks, for example to spread propaganda for the racist riots in the UK.
