Andrew Tate, along with his brother Tristan and two Romanian associates, are facing criminal charges of rape, human trafficking, and leading an organised crime group for the sexual exploitation of women.
According to the indictment presented to a Bucharest court, the four defendants are accused of forming an organized criminal group in 2021 with the aim of engaging in human trafficking in Romania, as well as the U.S. and the U.K.
The indictment names seven alleged victims who state they were deceived by the Tate brothers on false promises of love and marriage.
All the defendants have denied the allegations. The Tate brothers were initially arrested at their Bucharest home in December and were later granted house arrest in March by a Romanian judge.
The judge now has a 60-day period to review case files before sending it to trial. There are also ongoing investigations into other alleged crimes such as money laundering and trafficking of minors, which may result in separate indictments.
Assets belonging to the accused, including properties, cars, and over $300 million in cryptocurrency, have been seized. However, the trial is not expected to begin immediately and is likely to last several years.
Andrew Tate, a British-American former kickboxer, gained notoriety in 2016 when he was expelled from the British TV show Big Brother due to a video showing him apparently assaulting a woman. Despite a temporary ban from Twitter for controversial comments blaming women for sexual assault, he later had his account reinstated.
Andrew Tate has amassed a substantial following among young men, due to his flagrant display of hyper-masculinity and a luxurious lifestyle.
