Social media influencer and former kickboxing champion Andrew Tate has been accused of raping a Moldovan woman and using deception and intimidation to “transform [other women] into slaves,” according to a Thursday report from Reuters.
Romanian prosecutors allege Andrew Tate lured a Moldovan woman to Romania in February 2022 via a series of WhatsApp messages, Reuters reported, citing the 61-page court filing. She was promised a new life in exchange for her loyalty, according to the outlet. Reuters reviewed the WhatsApp messages and translated them from Romanian back into their original language of English. Reuters noted the prosecutors’ Romanian translations may not have been exactly the same as the original English versions.
“You must understand that once you are mine, you will be mine forever,” Andrew Tate told the woman in a Feb. 4 WhatsApp message cited by Romanian officials, according to Reuters. “Nothing bad will happen. But you have to be on my side,” another message from Feb. 9 allegedly reads.
Authorities say Andrew Tate raped the woman in Romania twice the following month, the outlet reported.
Sex, lies and video cams: Andrew Tate turned women into slaves, prosecutors say https://t.co/IXsRwzEBpi pic.twitter.com/qIvvXhcX8W
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 2, 2023
British-American Andrew Tate has reportedly been living in Romania since 2017. He and his brother, Tristan Tate, were detained in December after Romanian officials accused them of being involved in a human trafficking and rape scheme.
Via deception tactics and intimidation the brothers brought six women “under their control” and “[transformed] them into slaves,” prosecutors allege, according to Reuters. Both Tates have reportedly denied all the allegations brought against them.
Both Tates have reportedly denied all the allegations brought against them.
Police raided the Tates’ Bucharest property in April 2022 following reports that an American woman, whom Tristan Tate allegedly met online in November 2021, was being held there against her will, according to Reuters.
Prosecutors allege she, too, had been lured to Romania with talk of a relationship and promises that with Tristan Tate’s help, she would be able to earn “100k a month” on OnlyFans, the outlet reported. OnlyFans is an online site where users can post and sell racy pictures of themselves. (RELATED: ‘Some Girls Thought They’d Be His Next Wife’: Andrew Tate’s Security Boils Allegations Down To ‘Misunderstanding’)
The brothers’ attorney, Eugen Vidineac, said the six alleged victims were not abused but “lived off the backs of the famous Tates,” according to the court document cited by Reuters. “They were joyful and nobody was forcing them to do these things,” he reportedly added. Vidineac also argued that while Andrew Tate and the Moldovan woman had sex, the alleged interaction was consensual, according to Reuters.
Two of the six women listed in the court filing, identified only as Beatrice and Iasmina, told Romanian television station Antena3 on Jan. 11 that they are not victims and argued the Tate brothers are innocent, according to Reuters.
“You cannot list me as a victim if I say I am not one,” Beatrice said, Reuters reported.
The Tates remain detained along with two Romanian women accused of working for them, according to the outlet. A Romanian court reportedly rejected the brothers’ appeal for release Wednesday. Their detention has been extended until Feb. 27, but could be extended for up to 180 days while the investigation continues, the outlet reported.