Romanian authorities seize nearly $4 million in assets from Andrew Tate in alleged human trafficking, rape investigation - CNN

CNN  — 

Romanian authorities said they person seized astir $4 cardinal worthy of assets belonging to arguable net property Andrew Tate implicit the past week arsenic helium and his member are investigated connected allegations of quality trafficking and rape.

Roughly 18 cardinal lei, equivalent to $3,942,700, has been seized, the country’s Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ANABI) said successful a property merchandise connected Saturday.

Among the 29 seized assets are centrifugal vehicles, luxury watches and sums of wealth successful respective antithetic currencies, ANABI said.

The seizures were carried retired connected orders from prosecutors of the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism, according to ANABI.

Video published by Reuters connected Saturday shows Romanian authorities astatine a compound emblazoned with a ample “Tate” motion seizing respective high-value vehicles, including a Rolls Royce, a BMW and a Mercedes Benz.

Andrew and his member Tristan Tate were detained successful Romania successful December arsenic prosecutors pursued claims of quality trafficking and rape. Authorities successful Romania said constabulary served hunt warrants astatine 5 homes and took 4 suspects into custody – 2 Britons and 2 Romanians – arsenic portion of the investigation.

Romania’s Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) said the 4 suspects had been detained for an archetypal 24 hours. A Bucharest tribunal accepted an exertion by DIICOT to clasp Tate and his member Tristan successful custody for a further 30 days, their lawyer Eugen Vidineac said connected December 30.

DIICOT alleged that the 4 suspects formed an organized transgression radical that stretched from Romania to Britain and the United States, for the intent of committing the transgression of quality trafficking.

The bureau said Thursday that 7 much properties had been searched arsenic portion of the investigation, bringing the full fig of properties probed to 12.

The authorities allege that 2 of the suspects misled the victims “into believing that they intended to participate into a marriage/cohabitation relationship” portion transporting victims to Romania and aboriginal sexually exploiting them with carnal unit and coercion.

Authorities besides said 1 of the suspects raped a unfortunate connected 2 abstracted occasions successful March 2022. At slightest six victims were allegedly “sexually exploited by the organized transgression group,” the DIICOT connection said.

Tate, a erstwhile nonrecreational kickboxer, is known for his viral rants online astir antheral dominance, pistillate submission and wealth. He openly advocates unit against women, and had antecedently been banned from each large societal media level until Elon Musk reinstated his Twitter relationship aft taking implicit the company.

He roseate successful prominence earlier this year, with galore adults including schoolhouse teachers voicing alarm astir his misogynistic ideas taking basal successful the minds of countless young boys. Before it was taken down, his TikTok relationship racked up astir 11.6 cardinal views.

He made headlines the week of his apprehension for a Twitter enactment with Swedish clime activistic Greta Thunberg, who told Tate to get a beingness aft helium tweeted astir his galore cars “and their respective tremendous emissions.”

There was speculation online that authorities were alerted to Tate’s beingness successful Romania by the quality of a peculiar pizza container successful 1 of the photos helium posted successful his spat with Thunberg.

But, according to Reuters, a spokesperson for DIICOT said the pizza boxes did not play a relation successful the detentions.