UK-based influencer and former professional kickboxer Andrew Tate has reportedly been charged with rape and human trafficking offenses in Romania, according to reports in British media.
The BBC reported Tate, who was arrested by Romanian anti-terrorism authorities last December, has also been charged with “forming organized crime group to sexually exploit women.”
According to the indictment, Tate and three other people have been involved in human trafficking not only in the United States but also in the United Kingdom.
Tristan, Tate’s brother, is reportedly among the three suspects charged. In Bucharest, Romania, the brothers are believed to have been under house arrest since March.
On Tuesday morning, Romanian prosecutors charged the brothers, who are now set to face trial.
According to The Guardian, the charges pertain to alleged offenses against seven women, which the Tate brothers have denied.
Tate originally gained fame in 2016 as a visitor on the reality series “Big Brother” in the U.K., when he was criticized for homophobic and racial remarks posted on Twitter. He was ultimately fired from the program after a video leaked showing him seeming to belt a woman. Tate and the woman said they had consented to their behavior.
Since then, he has grown a fan base online by dispensing financial and masculine advice. He was suspended from Twitter in May 2017 before being allowed to rejoin by Elon Musk, who had just bought the social media site the year before.
