by
CNN
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Andrew Tate, the controversial former kickboxer-turned-social media influencer, and his brother Tristan have lost their appeals and will remain in prison in Romania on allegations of human trafficking and rape, CNN affiliate Antena 3 reported on Wednesday.
The brothers remain in the custody of Bucharest police until February 27, Antena 3 reported. The court’s decision is final.
On December 30, Romanian police searched five homes and arrested the brothers and two other suspects.
They allege the suspects formed an organized crime group that stretched from Romania to Britain and the United States for the purpose of human trafficking.
Authorities allege that two of the suspects “tricked the victims into believing that they intended to enter into marriage/cohabitation” while transporting them to Romania and later sexually exploited them using physical violence and coercion.
Authorities also allege that one of the suspects raped a victim on two separate occasions in March 2022. At least six victims were allegedly “sexually exploited by the organized crime group,” according to a statement by Romania’s Directorate of Investigation into Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT).
On January 25, the brothers pleaded innocent after being interrogated and having their electronic equipment for analysis confiscated.
“There is no evidence on my file because I did nothing wrong. Everyone knows I’m innocent,” Andrew Tate said. As he was ushered into DIICOT headquarters, he added: “There is no justice in Romania.”
Ioan Gliga, one of the Tate brothers’ lawyers, told reporters at the time: “We believe the evidence supports our clients, categorically not against them.”
The Romanian police searched 12 properties as part of their investigation, DIICOT announced in mid-January. Romanian authorities have seized assets worth around 18 million lei ($3,942,700) from Andrew Tate, including motor vehicles, luxury watches and sums of money in several different currencies, according to the country’s Asset Recovery and Management Agency.
Andrew Tate is known for his viral online rants about male dominance, female submission and wealth. He openly advocates violence against women and was previously banned from all major social media platforms until Elon Musk reactivated his Twitter account after taking over the company.
His notoriety began earlier this year, with many adults, including school teachers, raising alarms about his misogynist ideas taking root in the minds of countless youngsters. Before it was shut down, his TikTok account had about 11.6 billion views.
