Posted originally on the CTH on December 30, 2022 | Sundance

Andrew and Tristan Tate are controversial figures in the industry of what has been called online influencing.  There is generally a gray area when it comes to personalities who arise from one field of fame, in this case kickboxing, and then segway into other financial exploits where politics and pop culture are blended.  One person’s hero is another’s archvillain.

Andrew Tate, and to a somewhat lesser extent his brother Tristan, are pop culture personalities who have been controversial, removed from various social media platforms and ostracized for conduct many have defined as toxic and misogynistic.  CTH has limited knowledge of them but apparently the brothers have a considerable following online and in their various endeavors.  They have strong supporters and strong opposition.

[FWIW, from the outside looking in, they look sketchy.]

Last night the pair were arrested in Romania on charges of running a criminal enterprise (what might be considered RICO violations in the U.S), human trafficking and rape.  The two brothers, and two other people who are accused of collaboration in the enterprise, stand accused of luring women into the world of online pornography and forcibly holding them against their will. [Romania Legal Charges Here]

According to Romanian authorities, Andrew Tate had been under investigation since April 2022, after accusations from one American woman claiming to have been forced into their pornography business and held under threat and duress.  Prosecutors said they found six women who the suspects had sexually exploited, and that the suspects appear to have created an organized group to recruit, house and exploit women by forcing them to create pornographic content to be viewed on certain websites for money, according to Reuters.

Reuters – Romanian prosecutors asked a Bucharest court on Friday to extend the detention of Andrew Tate by 30 days, after the divisive internet personality was arrested on suspicion of human trafficking, rape and forming an organised crime group.

Tate, a former professional kickboxer, and his brother Tristan were detained on Thursday for an initial 24 hours alongside two Romanian suspects, prosecutors from the anti- organised crime unit said in a statement after raiding their properties in Bucharest.

“Anti-organised crime prosecutors have notified the rights and liberties judge with the Bucharest Court with a proposal to remand the four suspects for 30 days,” the prosecutors said on Friday.

The brothers declined to comment on Thursday but their lawyer confirmed they had been detained. They appeared in court on Friday as they awaited its decision on whether to grant the prosecutors’ request.

Prosecutors said the Tate brothers had been under criminal investigation since April. “The four suspects … appear to have created an organised crime group with the purpose of recruiting, housing and exploiting women by forcing them to create pornographic content meant to be seen on specialised websites for a cost,” prosecutors said in a statement late on Thursday.

“They would have gained important sums of money.” Prosecutors said they had found six women who had been sexually exploited by the suspects. (read more)

Andrew Tate was born in the United States and holds dual citizenship in both the U.S. and U.K.  As noted by Reuters, “Tate, a former contestant on the UK reality show Big Brother, operates the ‘Hustler’s University’, which claims to have over 160,000 users who pay a subscription to learn about topics such as cryptocurrencies, investing and business.”