BUCHAREST, Romania – Disgraced social media influencer and former kickboxer Andrew Tate, his brother Tristan, and two other suspects are slated to face trial in Romania on charges of rape, human trafficking, and forming a criminal gang for the sexual exploitation of women, Romanian authorities announced on Tuesday, June 20, 2023.
The four individuals, two of them being British-American dual citizens, were confirmed by Romania’s organized crime agency, DIICOT, in a statement. While the Tate brothers were not explicitly named, their spokesperson, Mateea Petrescu, acknowledged the indictment to NBC News.
“Although this development seems inevitable, we see it as an opportunity to prove their innocence and restore their tarnished reputation,” said Petrescu in an official statement. “This trial will allow us to present a thoroughly assembled body of evidence that we believe will undeniably substantiate the brothers’ claims of innocence.”
The Tate brothers and the two other defendants have been under house arrest since their apprehension last December. They have consistently denied the allegations against them.
In January, Romanian authorities reported the confiscation of luxury cars and other assets amounting to $3.9 million from a property near Bucharest as part of the investigation into the Tate brothers. They were initially held in custody before being released on house arrest in March.
Andrew Tate, a former kickboxing champion, has attracted a large following on social media, largely due to his often misogynistic and controversial views on gender roles. His influence, particularly on younger audiences, has sparked discussions among educators globally on how to counteract such extreme views.
Despite being banned from several major social media platforms last year, Tate managed to return to Twitter where he has continually updated his followers on his situation.
On Tuesday, he retweeted a post from @Tatenews_, stating, “The matrix is evil, They’re trying to take somebody’s father, somebody’s brother away from them. Trying to ruin his life, trying to falsely accuse him of something that NEVER happened. Free Andrew Tate.”
The matrix is evil,
They're trying to take somebody's father, somebody's brother away from them.
Trying to ruin his life, trying to falsely accuse him of something that NEVER happened.
Free Andrew Tate🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/KiiDCm8N5u
— Tate News (@TateNews_) June 19, 2023
Despite the indictment, no trial date has been announced yet. As the charges loom over them, the brothers maintain their claim of innocence, promising to present a compelling case in court.
