Andrew Tate on Trial: The Rise and Fall of an Internet Controversy

According to a court order, Andrew Tate, the self-proclaimed "king of toxic masculinity," is being investigated for two counts of rape. The court order also includes excerpts of extensive phone message conversations that demonstrate how Tate and his brother are alleged to have lured victims to Bucharest. Tate and his brother were arrested in Romania on suspicion of running a human trafficking ring.

Prosecutors in Romania have previously disclosed in public that there have been rape allegations in the case, but they have declined to provide any additional information or identify the specific suspect. The charges that prosecutors are looking into against Tate, 36, and his brother Tristan, 34, as well as two Romanian women accused of aiding them in running a human trafficking ring, are described in a 67-page court decision that put the brothers into administrative custody in late December.

All four were detained while the inquiry was ongoing after being arrested in December on charges of running a criminal enterprise and trafficking in persons. Although none have been formally charged, the court's decision states that prosecutors have listed the precise offences of which each defendant has a "reasonable suspicion."

Their attorneys claim the absence of charges demonstrates a lack of proof and contend that their continuing detention violates their human rights. According to the court ruling, Tate's attorneys have claimed that the sex was consensual during private court hearings. Tina Glandian, who has defended famous clients including Mike Tyson and Chris Brown and joined the Tates' legal team this week, stated that she was unable to comment on particular evidence because the proceedings were over but that the brothers categorically deny all the claims.

“It speaks volumes that they haven’t been charged yet despite the fact that there’s been an investigation for so long,” said Glandian. “They’ve searched their residences, seized their devices and here we are in February and their detention has been extended.”

According to the court order, which was first reported on by Reuters, Tate, a former champion kickboxer who holds dual citizenship with the United States and the United Kingdom, is being investigated for allegedly raping a Moldovan woman twice in March of last year while she was being trafficked from London to Bucharest, once at a hotel and once at a different location in the city.

According to the court order, Tate is accused of using "psychological and verbal pressure" to coerce the woman into having intercourse with him and two other women at the hotel, according to the prosecution. The second alleged rape allegedly took place 11 days later when Tate allegedly used "physical aggression and psychological and verbal coercion" to coerce the lady into having sex.

The file also contains references to testimonies made by the women to Romanian police as well as lengthy WhatsApp chats between Tristan Tate and the London-based woman as well as Tristan Tate and an American woman for whom he is under investigation for trafficking from the United States. The messages were copied in Romanian and included in the file, but The Post only translated them into English and did not independently verify them.

According to the court order, prosecutors said the communications show how the brothers used deception to "earn the trust of victims they misled" by appearing to be "affectionate, honest persons."

Tate, who has millions of online followers, allegedly started communicating romantically with the Moldovan woman in January of last year after seeing her in person in February.

The topic of moving to Romania rapidly came up in conversation. According to the court order, Tate sent a message on February 7 that read, "So I can keep an eye on you."

After viewing Tate's internet videos, the woman expressed worries about his work, the prosecution claims in the court order. The specific videos mentioned in the paper are unknown, but the contentious social media celebrity has publicly discussed how he earns money from women performing live sex acts online in YouTube videos.

Tate informed the lady in the texts contained in the court order that he had started teaching guys how to create their own webcam businesses and had used one to "launder money." He wrote to her, telling her that she could trust him, "It's all a cover." He discussed the possibility of marriage with the victim and said he would meet her in Romania after taking care of some business in Prague.

In one communication, Tate said, "I want to know that you are determined... serious about marriage," the court order states.

“Yes. I'm serious," she retorted.

Prosecutors claim that after arriving in Romania, the victims were taken to a location where Tate created internet porn.

According to the court order, the Moldovan woman texted Tate, "I'm in the house." "I feel a little off," I wish you would be honest with me so I know what's happening. What precisely do these girls do?

Tate allegedly responded, in accordance with the court order, that the women at the home are employees of "Only Fans," a popular internet subscription service among sex workers.

Do they undress and other things, I mean? Or another thing," the woman said.

Just a bikini, Tate said. Also, underwear.

The following day, she wrote, "I thought I would come here and live with you." "Having you pair me up with girls that work for you is a little odd."

Prosecutors claimed, in accordance with the court ruling, that victims were effectively made into "slaves" and then coerced into creating internet pornography.

The woman informs Tate in the chats that are included in the court order that she has been asked to create videos for the TikTok app.

Tate said, "Just do it," as per the court order. "It's easy."

According to the testimony of one of the victims cited in the document, the suspects took 50% of the online earnings of the women who worked for them. She also claimed that women were subject to "fines" if they did not post the exact content that was requested, cried during a live session, or took too long on a break.

The U.S. Embassy in Bucharest alerted Romanian authorities last year that a 21-year-old American citizen was being kept against her will in a property owned by the Tates, which started the inquiry against the brothers.

Parts of texts shared with the public, according to defense attorney Constantin Ioan Gliga, are "exaggerated and twisted interpretations of some harmless exchanges in the private environment."

Defense attorneys point out that two other Romanians who were listed in the case file as "hurt parties" have come forward to support the Tates and claim they are not the victims. The other women identified as victims could not be reached by the Post.

The Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism spokeswoman Ramona Bolla expressed her confidence that the individuals would face charges.

According to the court ruling, the American victim and Tristan Tate first connected on Reddit in 2021. According to the prosecution, Tristan Tate presented himself as someone who was intelligent, imaginative, and respectful—"exactly what she wanted in a partner." Tristan Tate visited Miami for a week when the two were dating, and then "the notion of visits to Romania developed into the thought of relocation," according to the court order.

Messages between the two indicate that one of Tristan's "rules" for her in Romania was "you never talk to anyone until I introduce you." "My home is Romania. There are no outside pals, he wrote.

According to the court decision, which cited the woman's statement, Tristan Tate informed the lady when she landed in Romania that she wouldn't be able to leave and that if she did, "he would make sure that she will return to Romania." According to the court order, she claimed that when she begged the armed guards to leave, they replied that they couldn't speak English.

According to the court order, she claimed that Tristan Tate "scared" her and informed her that he had surveillance cameras installed throughout the house, which is why she chose not to notify the police. She claimed that he would text her whenever she entered the living room to let her know that he was constantly keeping an eye on her.

The woman and Tristan Tate spent a "great week" together in Miami, according to the defense, but he didn't urge that she move there.

She wrote to Tristan Tate in April of last year, saying, "I really wanted to see Romania and you be the one to show it to me. But, in accordance with the court ruling, she also stated what she didn't want to do: Sorry, I can't expose my body on Only Fans. I want to save it just for you.