Romanian authorities on Saturday seized luxury cars and other assets worth an estimated 3.6 million euros ($3.9 million) belonging to embattled influencer Andrew Tate.
Tate was charged with human traffickingamong other crimes.
Romania’s National Agency for Unavailable Assets Management said in a statement that it had removed a total of 15 luxury cars, 14 designer watches and multi-currency cash from a property on the outskirts of Bucharest.
Cars include a Ferrari, Lamborghini, Rolls-Royce, Porsche, and Aston Martin, among others.
Assets could be used to compensate victims
Tate, an American-British dual citizen, was arrested on December 29 in Bucharest along with his brother Tristan Tate and two Romanian women.
They have been and are charged with human trafficking, rape and belonging to an organized crime group imprisoned for at least 30 days.
Romania’s Directorate of Investigation into Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) said it had identified six victims in the human trafficking case who were subjected to “acts of physical violence and psychological coercion” and sexually exploited by members of the alleged criminal group.
These women were lured by feigned love but were subsequently intimidated and forced to appear in pornography, the agency said.
A spokesman for DIICOT said if prosecutors can prove Tate made money from these illegal activities, such as human trafficking, the seized cars and other assets could be used to help pay for the investigation and compensate victims.
Tate and the other defendants have denied the allegations
Tate criticizes Romania’s judicial system
Tate is a former kickboxer and contestant on the British reality show Big Brother who became known online for misogynist statements and hate speech.
He was banned from all major social media platforms until his Twitter account was restored last November Elon Musk bought the social network.
After his vehicles were towed away on Saturday, a post appeared on Tate’s Twitter account that read: “Anyone who thinks I’m a human trafficker really is an idiot.”
“Anyone smart enough to understand that the American system is unfair would be overwhelmed by the injustice of the Romanian system,” the statement continued.
zc/kb (Reuters, AP)
