Romanian authorities have launched a new raid on the home of controversial influencer Andrew Tate, who is awaiting trial on charges of human trafficking and rape, as part of a new investigation, officials said.
Andrew Tate, one of the world’s most famous influencers for his misogynistic and sometimes violent comments, has been accused of having formed an organised criminal network in early 2021 in Romania and Great Britain, together with his brother Tristan.
The Directorate of Investigation and Control of Organized Crime (DIICOT) reported that four search warrants were executed, related to “the crimes of forming an organized criminal group, trafficking of minors,” “sexual relations with minors” and “money laundering.”
Shocking footage showed masked police officers heading to Tate’s residence carrying battering rams.
Prosecutors allege that Tate, 37, his 36-year-old brother and two women created a criminal organization and sexually exploited multiple victims.
They have denied those charges and a trial date has not yet been set.
Andrew Tate (center) and his brother Tristan Tate (right)
Gendarmes wearing balaclavas walk past the residence of internet influencer Andrew Tate during an early morning police raid, outside Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, August 21, 2024.
Police officers wearing balaclavas hold a battering ram used to break down a door outside the residence of internet influencer Andrew Tate
Police officers outside the Tate brothers’ residence in Pipera, Ilfov, near Bucharest, Romania, on August 21, 2024
Police patrol in front of the Tate brothers’ residence in Pipera, Ilfov, near Bucharest, Romania, on August 21, 2024
Andrew Tate, one of the world’s most famous influencers for his misogynistic and sometimes violent comments, has been accused of having formed an organised criminal network in early 2021 in Romania and Great Britain.
Prosecutors “conducted a raid this morning, August 21, 2024, at the Tate brothers’ residence as part of a search related to a new investigation,” an official said.
The brothers were arrested in 2022 in Bucharest and spent three months in detention before being released under judicial supervision pending trial.
The brothers also face rape and assault charges in separate cases in Britain, where they have also been charged with tax evasion.
Today’s raid comes a month after the Tate brothers were banned from leaving Romania.
The Bucharest Court of Appeals said in July it had overturned an earlier ruling allowing the controversial internet personality to move freely within the European Union while awaiting trial on human trafficking charges.
The decision came just two weeks earlier after the brothers had celebrated having received permission to leave the country for the first time in two years.
Andrew Tate (center) and his brother Tristan Tate (left) return to the Bucharest court after a break for refreshments. Andrew and Tristan Tate, Bucharest Court, Bucharest, Romania – July 04, 2024
Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan were banned from leaving Romania last month.
Tate poses at the Bucharest Court of Appeals before it overturned a July 5 ruling that allowed him and his brother to leave Romanian territory as long as they remained within the European Union, while awaiting trial on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women.
Andrew Tate grimaces as he arrives at court
When the brothers were initially told they could leave Romania, a spokesperson for the couple said: “The Romanian courts have ruled in favour of Andrew and Tristan Tate, lifting restrictions on their travel within the European Union,” adding: “This represents a significant victory and a major step forward in the ongoing case.”
‘This reflects the significant progress the legal team has made in challenging the allegations brought against them.
Andrew and Tristan’s lawyer, Eugene Vidineac, said: ‘We welcome and applaud the court’s decision today. I consider it a reflection of the exemplary behaviour and assistance of my clients.
‘Andrew and Tristan are still determined to clear their names and reputations, however, they are grateful to the courts for placing this trust in them.
‘For the brothers, who have faced movement restrictions for nearly two years, this ruling is a welcome relief.
‘It allows them to resume their lives with greater freedom and peace of mind.
“They can now travel freely throughout the EU to pursue professional opportunities without restrictions.”
However, this “relief” was short-lived and the ruling was overturned just fifteen days later.
Just two weeks ago, the brothers celebrated the news that they were allowed to leave Romania and were given freedom of movement within the European Union.
On July 5, Tate traveled to X to share a message celebrating having been granted the right to leave Romania for the first time in two years. However, this celebration was short-lived.
Pictured: A police officer escorts Andrew Tate, center, in handcuffs, from the Court of Appeals in Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, March 12, 2024
Tate and Tristan were initially arrested in December 2022 alongside two Romanian women, model Georgiana Naghel and former police officer Luana Radu, but were previously charged in June last year.
The two suspects, dubbed “Tate’s angels”, also face extradition to the UK once their legal proceedings in Romania are concluded.
The brothers have been charged with 10 counts of rape and sexual assault by three alleged victims in the UK.
The couple faced allegations from victims who said they were drugged and subjected to sexual acts between 2012 and 2015.
Romanian law stipulates that adult trafficking carries a lengthy prison sentence of up to a decade, as does rape.
The Tate brothers were detained by police during the criminal investigation from late December 2022 to April 2023, to prevent them from fleeing the country or tampering with evidence.
They were then placed under house arrest until August, when the courts placed them under judicial control, a milder preventive measure that allowed them to move freely but not leave the country.
Romanian prosecutors have said the Tate brothers recruited their victims by seducing them through social media and falsely claiming they wanted a relationship or marriage, eventually pretending to fall in love with them before making them work for their company after luring them to their villa outside Bucharest.
The victims were then taken to properties outside the capital, Bucharest, and through physical violence and mental intimidation were sexually exploited by being forced to produce pornographic content for social media sites that generated large financial gains, prosecutors said.
Tate, who has amassed 9.7 million followers on X, has repeatedly claimed that prosecutors in Romania have no evidence against him and that there is a political conspiracy to silence him.
In 2016, Tate appeared on the reality show ‘Big Brother’ in Britain, but was eliminated after a video emerged showing him attacking a woman.
He then took to social media platforms to promote his divisive views.
Dispensing advice on how to succeed, along with misogynistic and sometimes violent maxims, his videos have made him one of the most famous influencers in the world.