Romanians search seven homes in Andrew Tate rape inquiry
Ryan King
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Romanian authorities raided seven additional homes as part of a sex trafficking investigation into social media influencer Andrew Tate.
Searches took place Thursday morning near the “Bucharest municipality and Ilfov counties and Prahova” with assistance from local police officers in a quest for evidence against the Tate brothers, the Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism announced.
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“Prosecutors of DIICOT … are implementing seven home search warrants, within the radius of the city of Bucharest and the counties of Ilfov and Prahova,” DIICOT explained in a press release. “We make it clear that during the entire criminal process, the investigated persons benefit from the procedural rights and guarantees provided by the Code of Criminal Procedure, as well as the presumption of innocence.”
Tate, 36, was arrested in Bucharest on Dec. 29 alongside his brother and two Romanian women dubbed by some as the “Tate’s Angels.” The two women are his speculated girlfriend Georgiana Naghel and former Romanian cop Luana Radu, per the New York Post.
So far, over 10 properties and land associated with the Tate brothers have been confiscated by authorities. Earlier in the week, Tate lost an appeal against the seizure of his fleet of about a dozen luxury cars and another appeal against his current monthlong detention.
A court ultimately found that the seizures “are legal and (that) the goods remain at our disposal.” Officials noted the assets could be liquidated to compensate the victims. The Tates have denied the allegations against them.
Prosecutors allege that at least six victims were lured into the Tates’ orbit under the false pretenses of love but kept under surveillance by the Tate brothers. They were then coerced into producing pornographic content to help raise money for the Tates, DIICOT further alleged.
Tate, a former kickboxing champion, was previously arrested in 2015 for a separate allegation of rape in the United Kingdom, in which a woman showed a text in which he purportedly wrote “I love raping you,” Vice News reported. British officials ultimately opted not to bring charges against him and he denied the accusation.
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He gained a reputation as a provocateur for making social commentary that detractors have decried as misogynistic such as referring to women as “property.” Tate has stood by his controversial remarks and was previously banned from social media platforms for promulgating hate speech. Tate has a Twitter following of 4.5 million people. He has reportedly been residing in Romania since 2017.