This article was originally published by Vanity Fair.
Popular right-wing influencer Andrew Tate and his brother have been indicted in Romania on charges of human trafficking and forming an organized crime group to do so. Prosecutors alleged in a statement that Tate, 36, and his coconspirators sexually exploited seven victims identified by investigators and used “violence and mental coercion” to force the women to produce online pornography.
The indictment, which was issued Thursday, comes after Tate—a dual citizen of the US and UK who has lived in Romania since 2017—was arrested by counterterrorism authorities in December. His younger brother, Tristan Tate, and a pair of Romanian women were also named as defendants in the indictment, which includes a rape charge against one of the suspects. The four have been held under house arrest since April.
Tate—whose celebrity stems from a misogynistic self-help program he markets to young men who feel alienated from society—has said he initially moved to Romania in 2017 because he believed it to be lawless and corrupt. “I’m not a f****ing rapist, but I like the idea of just being able to do what I want. I like being free,” he once said while remarking on the country.
Needless to say, the Thursday indictment disputes that theory. It also accuses both Tate brothers of luring victims by offering to “establish a marriage/cohabitation relationship” with them, according to a translation by The Washington Post. While the indictment does not indicate which of the defendants is facing the rape charge, an unnamed official in the prosecutor’s office confirmed to The New York Times that it was Andrew Tate. He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
“Men. This isn’t about me,” he tweeted on Tuesday, alongside a montage of news clips linking his case to those of three male celebrities who evaded sexual assault charges or faced unsubstantiated accusations. “This is about all of us. Today it’s me. Tomorrow it’s you. Nobody is safe from these lies.” In a separate tweet, he also accused the Romanian government of vying for his assets, saying of the indictment, “I’m sure this case has absolutely nothing to do with stealing my wealth.” Mateea Petrescu, a spokesperson for Tate and his brother, told The New York Times that the Tates will attend a Wednesday hearing and that they embrace the opportunity “to demonstrate their innocence and vindicate their reputation.” Human trafficking and rape convictions in Romania both carry prison sentences of up to 10 years.
