Romanian prosecutors send Andrew and Tristan Tate to trial for human trafficking, rape

Prosecutors from Romania’s DIICOT have sent the Tate brothers to trial, accusing them of human trafficking and rape.

Prosecutors have seized several assets from the Tate brothers, such as luxury cars, properties, and money so far.

Andrew Tate, a controversial influencer, and his brother Tristan are accused of forming an organized criminal group, continuous trafficking of persons, continuous rape, illegal access to computer systems, alteration of computer data integrity, and incitement to assault or other violence.

At the beginning of 2021, the two, along with two other defendants, allegedly formed an organized criminal group with the intention of committing human trafficking on the territory of Romania, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

According to prosecutors, seven victims were recruited through deception and told that the defendants wanted to marry them. They were later transported and housed in properties in Ilfov County, where, through acts of physical violence and psychological coercion, they were sexually exploited by members of the group. They were forced to engage in pornographic acts for the purpose of production and distribution through social media platforms.

The victims were therefore subjected to forced labor while the defendants profited. Out of the seven victims who were sexually exploited by the organized criminal group, three have joined the criminal proceedings as civil parties, according to Biziday.

More than a dozen plots of land and buildings located in Ilfov, Prahova, and Brasov counties, 15 luxury cars, 14 luxury watches, 2 gold bars, and a medal, and shares held in 4 commercial companies were confiscated from the brothers. Large sums of money in lei, euros, dollars, and pounds were also seized, as well as 21 Bitcoin worth around USD 560,000.

The Tate brothers are currently under house arrest after three months of pretrial detention.

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/Sabin Cirstoveanu)