OAN’s Noah Herring
11:00 AM – Tuesday, June 20, 2023
Romanian prosecutors announced on Tuesday that Andrew Tate, notable internet personality and former professional kickboxer, along with his brother Tristan, have now been indicted on charges of rape, human trafficking, and forming an organized crime group.
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Tate and his brother were arrested in Bucharest in December. In March, they were moved from custody to house arrest by the ruling of a Romanian judge.
The indictment claims that the four defendants formed an organized criminal group in 2021 to work in human trafficking in Romania, as well as the U.S. and the U.K. Seven alleged victims were named accusing the Tate brothers of recruiting them, promising both love and marriage.
The victims were then allegedly taken into buildings in Ilfov county in Romania where they were intimidated, put under surveillance, and “forced into debt,” according to Romanian prosecutors. They were then reportedly forced to take part in filming pornographic acts, which was later purportedly posted on social media.
The trial has yet to begin and is estimated to take several years. A judge now has 60 days to look over the case files before it can be sent to trial.
Tate, who is known on the internet as “Top G” by his fans and followers, has repeatedly claimed Romanian prosecutors have no evidence whatsoever and alleged that the case is simply a conspiracy aimed to silence him.
A hearing will be held on Wednesday to communicate the rest of the details of the indictment.
Tate’s spokesperson, Mateea Petrescu, said that the brothers were ready to attend in person and “demonstrate their innocence and vindicate their reputation.”
“Tate’s legal team are prepared to cooperate fully with the appropriate authorities, presenting all necessary evidence to exonerate the brothers and expose any misinterpretations or false accusations,” Petrescu said.
At the time of their arrest, Tate was a hugely successful internet influencer with more than six million Twitter followers, most of which were young men who found his opinions uplifting. He was banned from TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook for what the platforms described as “hate speech” and misogynistic remarks.
Twitter later reinstated his account following Elon Musk taking over Twitter.
Tate is also facing civil charges from several women in Britain, alleging that they were victims of sexual violence. Tate adamantly denied these additional allegations.
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