Controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan, involved in a criminal probe into allegations of organized crime, human trafficking and rape, have been moved from custody to house arrest following a ruling on Friday by a Romanian judge.The ruling by the Court of Appeal in Bucharest replaces the latest period of custody, which was to end on 29 April.
Two associates, Georgiana Naghel and Luana Radu, are also being released. All four have been ordered to stay in the buildings where they live, unless they have judicial permission to leave.
The brothers have been detained since December, investigated on allegations of rape, people trafficking and forming an organized crime group. Both have denied wrongdoing.
Leaked court documents, seen by the BBC, outlined testimony from alleged victims claiming to be forced to earn €10,000 (£8,800) a month on social media platforms, under the alleged threat of physical violence.
Court papers also described debts being used as „a form of psychological coercion”. Since investigations began last April, six women have been identified by prosecutors as victims.
Romanian police alleged last year that the brothers and others had formed an organized criminal group that stretched from Romania to Britain and the United States for the purpose of human trafficking, Antena 3 reported at the time.
Andrew Tate is known for his viral rants online about male dominance, female submission and wealth. He openly advocates violence against women, and had previously been banned from every major social media platform until Elon Musk reinstated his Twitter account after taking over the company. He rose in prominence earlier this year, with many adults including school teachers voicing alarm about his misogynistic ideas taking root in the minds of countless young boys. Before it was taken down, his TikTok account racked up about 11.6 billion views.
Tate brothers accused of forcing women to participate in porn in Romania
