What was Andrew Tate arrested for in 2022?
Social media influencer Andrew Tate has been at the forefront of internet controversies since his rise to fame, including claims of misogyny, sexual assault, human trafficking, running a pyramid scheme and more. In December 2022, these claims reached a new peak when Tate was arrested, but what was he arrested for?
According to a translated press release from Romania’s Organized Crime and Terrorism Investigation Directorate (DIICOT), Tate was arrested on Dec. 29, 2022, after his home in Romania was raided.
Tate was arrested on suspicion of committing the crimes of constituting an organized criminal group, human trafficking, and rape.
At the time of his arrest, Tate’s brother, Tristan, and two other Romanians were arrested as well.
The allegations of constructing an organized criminal group came alongside the human trafficking charges.
The outline of the Tate brothers’ organized criminal activity was that they would mislead women and make them believe they were entering a romantic relationship, but when they arrived at the home, they would be forced to create pornographic content which would be distributed on social media. The victims were forced to remain at their home through physical violence and mental coercion.
Thus far, six women have been identified as victims of the alleged criminal actions.
The suspicion of rape was derived from an incident in March 2022 where a victim was forced to have sex with one of the group’s members on two separate occasions. The aforementioned press release did not state which arrested member was the alleged assaulter.
After his arrest, Tate was originally scheduled to be detained for 24 hours; however, according to Reuters, a Romanian court extended the detention to 30 days.
Reuters also reported that the Tate brothers had been under investigation since April 2022. This timeline coincides with a previous raid that occurred at the Tate property. On April 22, 2022, it was reported that a raid took place due to a claim that an American woman was being held against her will at one of Tate’s properties. This incident did not lead to an arrest, however.
At this point in time, it is unlikely that Tate’s case will be solved anytime soon as the investigation has seemingly just begun.
Needless to say, Tate’s 2022 arrest was not inconsequential. The former kickboxer is at the heart and center of some very serious legal issues.
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