Controversial American influencer and former boxer, Andrew Tate, has been charged in Romania, along with his brother Tristan and two Romanian nationals, with human trafficking, rape and setting up a criminal gang.

The four defendants, who already denied having committed these crimes, are under house arrest. The Romanian Prosecutor's Office brief details that all of them allegedly committed sexual abuse against seven women. The victims were allegedly taken to a building in Romania where they were intimidated. In addition, they were forced to record pornography that was then distributed over the internet.

Investigators have indicated that Tate and the other three defendants may also have committed money laundering and child trafficking.

In statements to the BBC, advisors to the Tate brothers said that "even though this news is certainly predictable, we take this opportunity to demonstrate their innocence and vindicate their reputation," adding that this accusation "allows us to present a broad body of evidence, diligently collected and prepared over time, which will undoubtedly corroborate the brothers' claims of innocence.” Before a possible trial, a Romanian judge has 60 days to study the case and its files.

Andrew Tate's reaction

Through his Twitter account, Tate defended himself and alerted all men that, sooner or later, they could be charged with the same crimes:

Andrew Tate controversy

As a boxer, he had a great career. Andrew Tate was defeated in only nine of his 85 professional fights, winning 23 by knockout. After his retirement, he went on to teach internet courses on how to make easy money and gave dating advice to men and women.

He also ventured into the world of television. In 2016 he participated in the reality show “Big Brother,” where he was kicked off after a video of him assaulting a woman came to light. He has also been in the spotlight for several of his posts on social media, for which he has been labeled a misogynist and homophobe. He declared himself anti-vaccine during the COVID-19 pandemic.