On Wednesday, law enforcement raided the home of internet personality Andrew Tate near Bucharest, according to a witness. Romanian police announced four searches as part of an investigation into crimes including human trafficking and sex with a minor. Tate, a self-described misogynist and social media influencer, has amassed millions of followers by promoting an ultra-masculine lifestyle that critics argue devalues women.
Tate, along with his brother Tristan and two Romanian female suspects, was already indicted in mid-2023 for human trafficking, rape, and forming a criminal gang to exploit women sexually, all of which they denied. Romania's anti-organized crime unit DIICOT stated on Wednesday that it had conducted four home searches in Ilfov county and the Bucharest municipality. The investigation pertains to "a criminal case involving the establishment of an organized criminal group, trafficking of minors, human trafficking, sexual intercourse with a minor, influencing statements, and money laundering."
A Reuters photographer on the scene reported that about a dozen masked officers had entered Tate's property. Tate's representatives confirmed that DIICOT officers had raided the Tate brothers' home. "Although the allegations in the search warrant are not yet fully clarified, they include suspicions of human trafficking and money laundering," Tate's representatives said in a statement. "The brothers' legal team is present to ensure that all formalities are carried out correctly."
In July, a Romanian court of appeal overturned a previous ruling that allowed Tate free movement within the European Union while awaiting trial on charges of human trafficking.
