Andrew Tate back in Romanian court as new charges emerge

Romanian prosecutors have asked a Bucharest court to remand controversial internet influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan in custody as they investigate new and serious allegations, including sex with a minor and human trafficking involving minors.

The two men appeared in court on Thursday afternoon.

The new investigation involves a total of 35 alleged victims, including a woman who was 15 years old at the time.

In a statement, Romania’s anti-organized crime agency, DIICOT, said a total of six people, both Romanians and foreigners, had been arrested.

The statement said the suspects were engaged in luring “vulnerable” people, who were then placed in various locations and forced to produce pornographic material for online broadcasts.

One of the foreign men is accused of forcing a 17-year-old foreign citizen to “perform sexual acts” to create online video content, and allegedly keeping all $1.5 million (£1.1 million) in profits. The statement does not name him.

The same man is accused of repeatedly having sexual relations with a girl who was 15 years old when they met.

The Tate brothers have previously been charged with human trafficking, and Andrew Tate has been charged with rape. They are now awaiting trial on those charges.

The Tate brothers have strongly denied any wrongdoing and deny the formal charges they are facing, which are new and separate allegations.

After hours of questioning at the DIICOT office, Andrew Tate told the BBC on Wednesday night that the latest allegations were “pathetic” and that prosecutors were “desperate”. He said they had “made a lot of things up”.

He also said he was accused of “loverboying” the mother of his children, a technique used by criminals to prey on the vulnerability of their victims and then exploit them.

Andrew Tate, a notorious misogynist with a large online following, called the case against him on Twitter/X a kind of mainstream “conspiracy” to silence him.

In the new affidavit, prosecutors accuse the brothers of purchasing four luxury cars and registering them in other people’s names to hide the proceeds from what they describe as their illegal activities.

In total, the suspects are said to have earned approximately $2.8 million through sexual exploitation.

The detainees are also accused of attempting to intimidate the victims and witnesses.

During a 10-hour search of four properties on Wednesday, detectives seized cash and other items including luxury watches, laptops, hard drives and documents. They also seized 16 luxury cars.

The Tate brothers were arrested late Wednesday evening after questioning, along with four Romanian citizens.

In order to hold them for more than 24 hours, prosecutors had to bring them to court. A few hours later, the brothers appeared in court.