A court in Bucharest on Friday extended the detention of controversial British influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan, who were arrested in late December as part of a procuring investigation.
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“At the request of the prosecutor, the court has accepted the extension of the pre-trial detention of the two Tate brothers until February 27,” a spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office responsible for combating organized crime (DIICOT) told AFP.) , Ramona Bolla.
Former kickboxers Andrew Tate, 36, and Tristan, 34, have been charged with “organized crime gang formation, human trafficking and rape,” which they deny.
They can remain behind bars for a maximum of 180 days before possible charges are brought.
Two of her relatives, who are Romanian nationals, were also arrested on December 29 during a wide-ranging operation carried out after several months of investigations.
The network, which has existed since 2019, recruited “several victims, including minors,” for the purpose of sexual exploitation,” the public prosecutor announced in mid-January.
They were tricked by the two men into feigning feelings for them before being forced into prostitution and producing porn films.
Sixteen phones and computer equipment “intended for video chat activities” were found at the various locations searched, including several belongings belonging to the two brothers.
Many of her belongings, including a collection of luxury cars, have also been confiscated and sealed since late December. Investigators reported 15 cars and 14 luxury watches, as well as “several sums of money,” totaling “about 18 million lei (3.6 million euros).
The judges had previously invoked the “risk of absconding” and the “danger to public order” to justify the continued detention of the defendants.
Andrew Tate, who also has an American passport, appeared on the TV show Big Brother in 2016. He was eliminated from the competition after video showed him hitting a woman.
He had been suspended from several social networks for making misogynistic comments, but his Twitter account was recently restored. Followed by 4.5 million people, he attracted attention shortly before his arrest through a very lively and well-commented exchange with the Swedish ecologist Greta Thunberg.
With a shaved head, a trimmed beard and bulging muscles, the 30-year-old claims to be a multi-millionaire and offers advice to men on how to help them through Hustler University, a paid coaching website that has more than 160,000 clients to get rich.