BUCHAREST, Romania — A court in Romania’s capital on Thursday placed polarising online influencer Andrew Tate under house arrest for 30 days as prosecutors investigate a broad new case involving claims of human trafficking and sex with a minor.

The Bucharest Tribunal’s judgment came a day after prosecutors detained six persons, including Tate, 37, and his brother Tristan Tate, 36, during masked police raids on four homes in Bucharest and surrounding Ilfov county. Prosecutors urged the court to put the brothers in jail for 30 days. Tristan has been placed under judicial supervision, which usually entails geographical limits and occasional reporting to the police.

Mateea Petrescu, the brothers’ spokesperson, responded to the decision by saying the judge denied prosecutors’ request due to the brothers’ “exemplary behaviour” while previously under preventative arrest in a separate case. The brothers firmly deny all of the allegations against them and “remain steadfast in proving their innocence.”

Andrew Tate Placed Under House Arrest As New Human Trafficking Allegations Emerge Involving Minors

The Tate brothers, both former kickboxers and dual British-American nationals, are currently awaiting trial in Romania in a separate human trafficking case alongside two Romanian women. Last year, Romanian prosecutors formally accused all four.

In the current case, Romania’s anti-organized crime agency, DIICOT, announced that it is looking into charges of human trafficking, including minor trafficking, sexual intercourse with a minor, formation of an organized criminal gang, money laundering, and influencing statements. The alleged crimes occurred between 2014 and 2024.

DIICOT stated that the defendants utilized the coercive “loverboy” tactic to abuse 34 vulnerable victims who were compelled to make pornographic materials for a charge online and that the defendants took more than $2.8 million (2.5 million euros) of the proceeds.

DIICOT alleges that an unnamed foreign guy sexually exploited a 17-year-old foreigner and pocketed the $1.5 million (1.3 million euros) earned from the illicit activities. The same male “repeatedly had sexual relations and acts” with a 15-year-old, the agency said.

Outside the court, after the judge imposed his home arrest order, Andrew  informed reporters that many of the claimed victims in the current case have testified in the Tate brothers’ defense. “This is a set-up, it’s absolutely disgusting, fair play to that judge who saw through the bullshit and let us free,” he went on.

Andrew, who has 9.9 million followers on the social networking site X, is well-known for voicing misogynistic views online. He has frequently stated that authorities have no evidence against him and that there is a political conspiracy to suppress him. He has already been banned from several social media platforms due to his misogynistic ideas and hate speech.

“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,” according to DIICOT.

During Wednesday’s police operations, which included searching the Tate brothers’ vast property near Bucharest, investigators seized 16 luxury vehicles, a motorbike, laptops, thousands of euros in cash, fancy watches and data storage devices.

The latest case against the Tate family adds to their long list of legal difficulties.

Andrew Tate Placed Under House Arrest As New Human Trafficking Allegations Emerge Involving Minors

Following their arrest in December 2022, the Tate brothers were kept in police custody for three months before being sent to home arrest. They were then restricted to Bucharest municipality, the neighboring Ilfov county, and then to Romania.

In April, the Bucharest Tribunal determined that the prosecutors’ case file against them met the legal conditions and that a trial could commence, but no date was established.

Last month, a court overruled an earlier ruling that permitted the Tate brothers to leave Romania while awaiting trial. The previous court ruled on July 5 that they might leave the country if they remained part of the 27-member European Union. The decision was finalized.

In March, the Tate brothers appeared in a separate case at the Bucharest Court of Appeal after British authorities filed arrest warrants for claims of sexual violence in a 2012-2015 case in the United Kingdom. The appeals court granted the British request to extradite the Tates to the United Kingdom, but only after the legal proceedings in Romania were completed.

SOURCE | AP

Richard Simmons’ brother has revealed the late fitness guru’s cause of death.

“Richard died accidentally as a result of consequences from recent falls, with heart disease also playing a role. Except for the prescription Richard was prescribed, the toxicology report was negative,” Simmons’ agent, Thomas Estey, told People, citing news Simmons’ brother got from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.

Richard Simmons’ Cause Of Death Revealed

When contacted by CNN, Estey referenced his remark to People.

“The Family wishes to thank everyone for their outpouring of love and support during this time of great loss,” according to his statement.

The full coroner’s report is not yet publicly available.

Richard, a prominent fitness figure and TV staple from the 1980s, died early Saturday morning, July 13. He celebrated his 76th birthday the day before. “We lost an Angel today–a true Angel,” Estey told CNN at the time.

Shortly after his death, claims circulated that Richard had fallen in his bathtub the night of his birthday but refused medical assistance at the request of his maid. He was discovered lifeless next to his bed the next morning.

His brother, Lenny Simmons, also paid tribute in a statement released to CNN last month.

Richard Simmons’ Cause Of Death Revealed

“I don’t want people to be sad for my brother. “I want people to remember him for the genuine joy and love he brought into their lives,” Lenny Simmons wrote. “He really cared about others. He called, wrote, and emailed hundreds of people over his career to assist. So do not be sad. “Celebrate his life.

He further stated that his brother was “very excited about all of the upcoming ventures he was working on.”

SOURCE | CNN

A Romanian judge has placed controversial internet personality Andrew Tate under house arrest as prosecutors investigate fresh and serious claims, including sex with a minor and trafficking in underage individuals.

He and his brother, Tristan, appeared in court on Thursday afternoon. Tristan Tate was placed under special judicial supervision.

Prosecutors urged the judge to remand the brothers in custody for 30 days while they conducted a new investigation involving 35 alleged victims, including a 15-year-old lady.

DIICOT, Romania’s anti-organised crime agency, stated in a statement that six people had been held in total, including Romanians and foreigners.

Andrew Tate issued a scathing statement to the reporters outside, describing the case against him as a “stitch-up” and a fabrication.

“It’s a setup. It’s totally horrible. Thirty of those girls claim we did nothing wrong. Two are our children’s moms, and two have never been to Romania,” he explained.

When questioned repeatedly by the BBC about claims of sex with a 15-year-old girl and trafficking underage people, he walked away and refused to comment.

The Tate brothers had already been accused with human trafficking, with Andrew Tate also facing rape allegations, and are awaiting trial. They were released from house imprisonment a year ago and ordered not to leave Romania.

They have consistently denied any misconduct and the official charges they face.

These are new and different allegations.

According to the anti-organised crime agency, the accused groomed “vulnerable” persons before housing them in various locations and forcing them to generate pornographic content for online broadcast.

One of the foreign guys is accused of coercing a 17-year-old foreign citizen into “perform sexual acts” in order to produce internet video content. He is alleged to have kept the entire $1.5 million (£1.1 million) profit. The statement does not name him.

The same man is accused of having multiple sexual encounters with a girl who was 15 years old when they met.

After many hours of interrogation at the DIICOT headquarters, Andrew Tate told the BBC on Wednesday night that the latest claims were “pathetic” and that prosecutors were “desperate”. He stated that they had “made up a lot”.

He also claimed that he was accused of “lover-boying” the mother of his children, a practice employed by crooks to prey on victims’ vulnerabilities and then exploit them.

Andrew Tate, a renowned misogynist with a large internet following, has described the case against him on Twitter/X as a mainstream “conspiracy” to silence him.

In the new statement, prosecutors accuse the brothers of purchasing four luxury cars and registering them in the names of others in order to conceal the proceeds of what they describe as illegal behaviour.

It is claimed that the defendants earned around $2.8 million through sexual exploitation.

The detainees are also accused of attempting to intimidate the victims and witnesses.

During a 10-hour investigation of four residences on Wednesday, authorities recovered cash and other goods such as designer watches, laptop computers, hard drives, and papers. They also impounded 16 luxury vehicles.

The Andrew Tate, along with four Romanian citizens, were arrested late Wednesday night after being questioned.

To hold them for more than 24 hours, prosecutors had to bring them before a judge, and the brothers appeared in court hours later.

Source: BBC