Controversial
influencer Andrew Tate has been charged in Romania with rape, human trafficking
and forming an organised crime group to sexually exploit women.
His brother
Tristan and two associates also face charges. All have denied the allegations.
The Tate
brothers were first arrested at their Bucharest home in December.
In March, they
were moved from custody to house arrest following a ruling by a Romanian judge.
The indictment
deposited with the Bucharest court says that the four defendants formed an
organised criminal group in 2021 to commit human trafficking in Romania, but also
in other countries including the US and the UK.
It names seven
alleged victims who it says were recruited by the Tate brothers through false
promises of love and marriage.
The alleged
victims were later taken to buildings in Ilfov county in Romania where they
were intimidated, placed under constant surveillance and control and forced
into debt, according to a statement from Romanian prosecutors.
The defendants
allegedly then forced the women to take part in pornography which was later
shared on social media.
One defendant is
accused of raping a woman twice in March 2022, the statement adds.
The accused also
had assets seized, including properties, cars and more than $300m (£235m) in
cryptocurrency.
The trial will
not start immediately and is expected to take several years.
A Romanian judge
now has 60 days to inspect the case files before it can be sent to trial.
The media team
for the Tate brothers said:"While this news is undoubtedly predictable, we
embrace the opportunity it presents to demonstrate their innocence and
vindicate their reputation."
It added the
indictment "allows us to present a comprehensive body of evidence,
diligently collected and prepared over time, which will undoubtedly
substantiate the brothers' claims of innocence".
There are also
separate charges still under investigation which could lead to a separate
indictment, including money laundering and trafficking of minors.
In 2016, Andrew
Tate, a British-American former kickboxer, was removed from British TV show Big
Brother over a video which appeared to show him attacking a woman.
He went on to
gain notoriety online, with Twitter banning him for saying women should
"bear some responsibility" for being sexually assaulted. He has since
been reinstated.
Despite social
media bans, he gained popularity, particularly among young men, by promoting
what he presented as a hyper-masculine, ultra-luxurious lifestyle.
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