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Popular Internet personality Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan face several years in prison after being detained on human trafficking charges.
Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan have been reportedly arrested by Romanian authorities in human trafficking investigation
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) December 29, 2022
According to the Washington Post, Romanian courts are holding the Tate brothers for 30 days while the investigation into their role in a human trafficking ring continues.
The Post is also reporting that Romanian prosecutors are seeking to send the Tate brothers and their accomplices to trial, and they face several years in prison if convicted.
Via Washington Post
A Romanian anti-organized-crime unit gained authorization from a judge to hold the Tates and two Romanian suspects for 30 days, a spokesperson for the Romanian prosecutor’s office said. All four suspects will spend the weekend in jail, the spokesperson said, and the suspects have appealed the decision. One also was charged with rape, but the spokesperson would not name that person, citing local laws.
The Tate brothers were expected to be at the court in Bucharest. Prosecutors are seeking to send the suspects to trial. If convicted, they could face several years of prison time.
“No matter what the judge decides [on the longer detention], we will take further action in investigating this crime,” Ramona Bolla, a spokeswoman for the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism, or DIICOT, said in a telephone interview.
On Thursday, Romania’s Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism released a press release revealing that Andrew Tate, his brother, and two other people were arrested for “organizing a group in early 2021, conspiring to commit human trafficking,”
Police said the four suspects organized a group in early 2021, conspiring to commit human trafficking, not just in Romania but also in the United States and Britain. Conviction in Romania on charges of human trafficking can carry penalties of between three and 10 years. For rape, penalties can range between five and 10 years.
The investigation started in April, after U.S. Embassy called Romanian authorities w/information that a U.S. citizen was being held involuntarily in Ilfov. Police reported a search of 2 properties in April and seized assets. The Tates’ detentions came after 5 home search warrants
— Sara Sorcher (@SaraSorcher) December 30, 2022
Press Release via DIICOT
On Friday morning, Andrew Tate tweeted that “the matrix sent their agents” which led many to falsely believe that he had been released.
The Matrix sent their agents.
— Andrew Tate (@Cobratate) December 30, 2022