Romanian authorities seize $4 million worth of assets belonging to Andrew Tate as they continue alleged human trafficking investigations
Romanian authorities announced on Sunday, January 15 that they had seized goods worth 18 million lei ($3.95million) in a criminal investigation into alleged human trafficking that led to the arrest of Andrew Tate, a controversial internet personality.
Andrew Tate, his brother, and two Romanian women suspects were arrested on December 29 for forming a criminal group to exploit six female victims sexually. They denied any wrongdoing.
The detained challenged their 30-day arrest warrant, but the Bucharest court of appeals rejected it this week and said they should remain in police custody.
Last week, the National Agency for the Management of Seized Assets took into administration 29 movable assets, including luxury vehicles and watches, and various amounts of cash in different currencies, it said in a statement late on Saturday.
Reports from Romania say several cars, including a Rolls-Royce, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz, were taken from Tate’s compound on the outskirts of the capital, Bucharest, to be transported to a storage location.
Andrew Tate, a former contestant on the UK reality show Big Brother, gained popularity for misogynistic remarks and hate speech.
Tate, who holds U.S. and British nationality, has said women are partially responsible for being raped and that they belong to men.
His remarks got him banned from all major social media platforms, although his Twitter account became active again in November after Elon Musk acquired the platform.