By BUCHAREST, Romania — A court in Bucharest placed internet influencer Andrew Tate under house arrest for thirty days on Thursday, as prosecutors investigate new allegations of human trafficking involving minors and sex with a minor.
The decision came a day after prosecutors detained six people, including Andrew Tate, thirty-seven, and his brother Tristan Tate, thirty-six, following raids on four properties in Bucharest and nearby Ilfov county. Prosecutors had requested thirty-day custody for the brothers. Tristan Tate was placed under judicial control, which typically involves travel restrictions and regular police check-ins.
Mateea Petrescu, the brothers’ spokesperson, stated that the judge denied prosecutors’ custody request due to the Tates’ “exemplary behavior” during previous preventative measures in a separate case. She added that the brothers deny all allegations and remain committed to proving their innocence.
The Tate brothers, dual British-U.S. citizens and former kickboxers, are already awaiting trial in Romania on separate human trafficking charges, along with two Romanian women. All four were formally indicted last year.
In the new case, Romania’s anti-organized crime agency DIICOT is investigating allegations of human trafficking, including trafficking of minors, sexual intercourse with a minor, forming an organized criminal group, money laundering, and influencing statements. The alleged crimes span from two thousand fourteen to two thousand twenty-four.
DIICOT alleges that the defendants used the coercive “loverboy” method to exploit thirty-four vulnerable victims, forcing them to produce online pornographic content. The agency claims the defendants retained over two point eight million dollars generated from this activity.
Additionally, DIICOT alleges that an unnamed foreign man sexually exploited a seventeen-year-old foreigner, retaining approximately one point five million dollars from criminal activities. The same individual is accused of repeatedly engaging in sexual relations with a fifteen-year-old.
Andrew Tate, who has nine point nine million followers on the social media platform X, has consistently claimed that prosecutors lack evidence against him and that he is the target of a political conspiracy. He was previously banned from various social media platforms for expressing misogynistic views and hate speech.
During Wednesday’s raids, authorities seized sixteen luxury vehicles, a motorcycle, laptops, thousands of dollars in cash, luxury watches, and data storage devices.
The Tate brothers’ legal troubles have been ongoing since their arrest in December two thousand twenty-two. They were initially held in police detention for three months before being moved to house arrest. Their movements were subsequently restricted to Bucharest municipality and nearby Ilfov county, and then to Romania.
In April, the Bucharest Tribunal ruled that prosecutors’ case file in the original case met legal criteria for a trial, though no date has been set.
Last month, a court overturned an earlier decision that would have allowed the Tate brothers to leave Romania while awaiting trial.
In a separate case, the Bucharest Court of Appeal granted a British request to extradite the Tates to the U.K. over allegations of sexual aggression dating from two thousand twelve to two thousand fifteen. However, this extradition can only occur after legal proceedings in Romania have concluded.
DIICOT emphasized that throughout the criminal process, the investigated individuals benefit from procedural rights, guarantees provided by the Code of Criminal Procedure, and the presumption of innocence.
