By Wes Davis, a weekend editor who covers the latest in tech and entertainment. He has written news, reviews, and more as a tech journalist since 2020.Social media influencer Andrew Tate was indicted in Romania on charges of human trafficking, rape, and the creation of a criminal organization, Romanian authorities announced today. Authorities also proposed extending the house arrest of Tate, his brother, Tristan Tate, and two associates who were also charged.Tate and the other defendants are alleged to have recruited seven people by misleading them about an intent “to establish a marriage/cohabitation relationship,” according to the Romanian law enforcement agency Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT). They were later held against their will and, through “physical violence and mental pressure,” sexually exploited on video for distribution on social media, the agency wrote.Who is Andrew Tate? As described in a profile on Vox.com:Andrew Tate is a 35-year-old former kickboxer, ex-reality show contestant, and current podcaster-slash-“King of Toxic Masculinity” whose inflammatory diatribes against women, whom he compares to property, have become viral fodder on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube over the last several years. Until recently, he was also the head of a subscription-based online course program called Hustler’s University in which customers paid $49 per month to learn, supposedly, how to earn $10,000 per month through crypto investing, drop shipping, or other scam-adjacent activities. Tate’s lawyer said his client is innocent, and Tate suggested the Romanian government just wants to confiscate his money, according to Reuters. The indictment published by Romania’s anti-organized crime prosecuting unit also called for confiscating land, buildings, 15 luxury cars, and cryptocurrency wallets.Per the Reuters report, the case won’t start right away — Romanian law dictates a judge will have 60 days to ensure the legality of the case files before the trial begins.The group was arrested in December a day after Tate, who had been on the run, bragged on Twitter about his 33 cars and their emissions, tagging environmental activist Greta Thunberg. Thunberg was unimpressed. In January, when Tate sought to appeal a judge’s decision to extend his arrest from 24 hours to 30 days, a Romanian court rejected the appeal, citing flight risk. / Sign up for Verge Deals to get deals on products we've tested sent to your inbox daily.The Verge is a vox media network© 2023 Vox Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved
