Controversial influencer Andrew Tate charged with rape, human trafficking

Andrew Tate, left, and Tristan Tate after appearing at the Court of Appeal, in Bucharest, Romania. [VOA]

Online influencer Andre Tate has been charged with rape, human trafficking, and forming an organized crime group.

The former kickboxer and his brother Tristan Tate were charged by Romanian authorities on Tuesday, June 20.

The Tate brothers in conjunction with two Romanian women have been accused of misleading seven women, transporting them, and later forcing them to take part in sexual activities while being subjected to violence.

However, they denied the allegations claiming that Romanian prosecutors have no evidence. According to the controversial social media influencer Tate, it is a political conspiracy designed to silence him.

The four have been said to traffic women in different states including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Romania.

Romanian authorities arrested the accused in late December 2022 till March 31 when they won an appeal to be moved from custody to house arrest.

The trial will begin in 60 days since the case has to first go through the court's preliminary chamber, where all the evidence files will be reviewed to ensure their legality.

The authorities have now called for the confiscation of assets owned by the Tate brothers among them being 15 luxury cars, luxury watches, and about $3 million they held in cryptocurrency.

Tate's spokesperson, Mateea Petrescu, on Tuesday, said that they will prove that the accused are not guilty and clear their name in a bid to reinstate their reputation.

"Tate's legal team is prepared to cooperate fully with the appropriate authorities, presenting all necessary evidence to exonerate the brothers and expose any misinterpretations or false accusations," said Petrescu.

Tate is said to have a history of abusing women since he was ejected from 'Big Brother', a UK reality show after a video of him striking a woman with a belt went viral.

He had also earlier been banned from major social media platforms for portraying misogynistic characters.

If they are found guilty, they will be looking at a sentence of up to 20 years in the Romanian jail.

Information on this story has been sourced from AP, BBC, and other agencies.