Romanian officials are backdropped by a luxury vehicle which was seized in a case against media influencer Andrew Tate on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023.
Vadim Ghirda / AP
Romanian authorities confiscated a $3.9 million trove of luxury cars, watches and cash as part of an ongoing sex trafficking investigation involving British-American male dominance influencer Andrew Tate.
Tate, a 36-year-old known for his misogynistic views, was detained in Bucharest last month on charges of rape, human trafficking and running an organized crime ring. Tate's brother and two Romanian citizens were included in the initial rounds of arrests.
On Saturday, Romanian authorities descended upon the Tates' compound in Bucharest to confiscate 29 assets, including 15 sports cars and 14 luxury watches, according to a statement from the Romanian Asset Recovery and Management Agency. Alongside several sums of money in multiple currencies, the total value of the goods is estimated to be 18 million lei ($3.9 million USD).
The statement does not explicitly name Tate, but photos published by the Associated Press and Reuters showed a half-dozen masked Romanian agents hauling away a blue Rolls-Royce identical to the one pictured in the Romanian press release.
A BMW, Porsche and Aston Martin, each with a license plate bearing the word "T8," are pictured being towed away from the residence, which itself is emblazoned with the name "TATE" in fluorescent lighting.
Neither Romanian authorities nor lawyers for Tate responded to NPR's request for comment.
A police officer walks by luxury vehicles which were seized in a case against media influencer Andrew Tate, on the outskirts of Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023.
Vadim Ghirda / AP
On Tuesday, a judge upheld an earlier move to extend the arrest of Tate and the three alleged co-conspirators from 24 hours to 30 days. A day later, Tate lost a second appeal challenging the seizure of his assets, the Associated Press reported.
Romania's anti-organized crime agency, DIICOT, said in its original arrest statement that it has identified six victims of sexual exploitation involved with the scheme. The women were lured by false pretenses of love, then subjected to "physical violence and mental coercion," according to the agency.
The victims were kept under surveillance and forced to "perform pornographic demonstrations," DIICOT says. At least one victim was raped on two separate occasions, the agency says.
DIICOT has executed a total of 12 home search warrants as part of the investigation so far.
A Twitter account belonging to Tate, which has been updated daily throughout his detention, posted on the day of the confiscation that "anyone smart enough to understand the American System is unfair would be mind blown by the injustice of the Romanian System."
"Anyone who believes I'm a human trafficker is genuinely a moron," the post also said.
Andrew Tate (pictured third from the right) and his brother Tristan Tate (second from the right) arrive handcuffed and escorted by police at a courthouse in Bucharest on Jan. 10, 2023 for a hearing on their appeal against pre-trial detention for alleged human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal group.
Daniel Mihailescu / AFP via Getty Images
Tate, a former professional kickboxer who self-styled himself as a male life coach, is known for viral videos containing misogynistic statements promoting female submission, domestic violence and male wealth.
Tate has been banned from every major social media platform with little impact to his overall popularity among Gen Z men. He regained a Twitter account after Elon Musk took over the company last year.
That account launched him back into the public spotlight the week of his arrest, thanks in part to a Twitter feud with the climate activist Greta Thunberg.
The two exchanged back-and-forth comments on the platform after Tate bragged about about the amount of emissions produced by his luxury cars.
About half of those cars could now be auctioned off at the court's approval, Romanian officials say.
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