Police officers outside the Tate brothers residence in Pipera, Ilfov, near Bucharest, Romania, August 21, 2024. Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea via REUTERS
BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romanian police raided the home of internet personality Andrew Tate on Wednesday as part of a new investigation into crimes including human trafficking and money laundering, the influencer's representatives said.
A self-described misogynist, Tate has gained millions of fans by promoting an ultra-masculine lifestyle that critics say denigrates women.
He was already indicted in mid-2023 along with his brother Tristan and two Romanian female suspects for human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women, allegations they denied.
"Although the allegations in the search warrant are not yet fully clarified, they include suspicions of human trafficking and money laundering," Tate's representatives said in a statement on Wednesday.
"The brothers' legal team is present to ensure that all formalities are carried out correctly."
Romania's Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) said on Wednesday it had conducted four home search warrants within Ilfov county and the Bucharest municipality.
It said the investigation concerned "a criminal case regarding the commission of the crimes of setting up an organized criminal group, trafficking of minors, human trafficking, sexual intercourse with a minor, influencing statements and money laundering."
In July, a Romanian court of appeal overturned a previous ruling which allowed Tate free movement within the European Union while awaiting trial on charges of human trafficking.
(Reporting by Octav Ganea, Stoyan Nenov, writing by Pawel Florkiewicz; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
