Four more luxury vehicles have been seized in the investigation into social media personality Andrew Tate who was detained in Romania last week on charges of human trafficking and rape, an official said Friday.
Prosecutors investigating the case seized the additional four vehicles yesterday on top of 11 others seized in raids last week, said Ramona Bolla, a spokesperson for Romanian anti-organized crime agency DIICOTs.
At least seven of the seized vehicles – some of which local media report are limited editions worth up to $300,000 – are registered to Tate and his brother Tristan Tate who was detained last week in the same case, she said. Some of the other vehicles either aren’t registered or don’t have documentation.
Bolla also said that more than 10 properties or land owned by companies registered to the Tate brothers have been seized in the investigation so far.
Four more luxury vehicles have been seized in the investigation into social media personality Andrew Tate (pictured with a Bugatti Chiron hypercar)
In this grab taken from video released by Observator Antena 1, Andrew Tate is led away by police, in the Ilfov area, north of Bucharest, Romania, Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022
Tate is pictured outside his compound in front of a Porsche, Rolls Royce and Aston Martin
‘If we prove they gained money through human trafficking,’ Bolla said, ‘they will be taken by the state and (will) cover the expenses of the investigation and damages to the victims.’
Among the collection of cars seized by the authorities is a Rolls-Royce Wraith from the carmaker’s Black Badge range and an Aston Martin Vanquish S Ultimate, that have both featured in videos posted online by Tate.
According to TopGear.com, the Rolls-Royce is worth at least $300,000, while the Aston Martin goes for around $250,000.
A video posted by the former Big Brother contestant to YouTube shows he apparently purchased the Wraith on a whim while he was walking around London with an entourage, which included his brother.
According to Romania’s Spy News, a Bugatti Chiron (worth around $2.9 million), two Ferraris and a Porsche were among the other cars to have been seized.
Tate, a British citizen and former professional kickboxer who has amassed 4.4 million followers on Twitter, was detained last week along with his brother Tristan in Ilfov, an area north of Romania’s capital, Bucharest.
Two other female suspects – Georgiana Naghel and Luana Radu – were also taken into custody in Bucharest on December 29 on suspicion of human trafficking, rape and forming an organized crime group.
They have denied all the allegations, with Tate’s representative Avocat Vidineac Eugen Constantin saying they would appeal the judge’s decision.
Radu, 32, was previously based at a police station in central Bucharest but quit the force eight years ago to pursue a career working in video chat rooms, which attract men from all over the world and have become a lucrative industry in Romania.
Naghel, 28, who is a US citizen, is described as a businesswoman and influencer who is believed to have been dating Tate for almost a year.
Andrew Tate’s brother Tristan, who has also been detained, is pictured standing in front of a McLaren supercar
Tate (pictured on a private jet) allegedly recruited scores of women and held them under house arrest ‘like prisoners’ while forcing them to create online pornographic content
Women working for Tate, who is pictured here on a boat in an image shared on social media, are alleged to have been tattooed with the words ‘owned by Tate’
DIICOTs said in a statement last week that it has identified six victims who were subjected to ‘acts of physical violence and mental coercion’ and were sexually exploited by group members.
The agency said two British citizens in the case lured victims under the pretence of love, and later intimidation, constant surveillance, and other control tactics into performing pornographic acts intended to reap ‘important financial benefits.’
All four suspects are expected to appear in a Bucharest court next week to have their appeals heard contesting a judge’s decision last week to extend their arrest warrants from 24 hours to 30 days, Bolla said.
The Tate brothers will also appear in court next week to appeal the seizure of some of their belongings.
They had been organizing their own New Year’s Eve party at a 48-room mansion they own in the mountain village of Comarnic before their sudden arrest.
Tate bought the stunning century-old property 80 miles north of Bucharest, which features an underground car park and swimming pool, a year ago.
In a statement posted on Andrew Tate’s website – which sells a program called ‘The War Room’ for more than $5,000, intended ‘for men who understand something is missing’ – says his detention is an ‘unfounded, politically-driven attack.’
The Tate brothers had been organizing a New Year’s Eve party at a 48-room mansion they own in the mountain village of Comarnic before their sudden arrest
Tate is pictured handcuffed in the back of a police van alongside two other female suspects
Shortly before his arrest in Romania, Tate was involved in a Twitter spat with climate activist Greta Thunberg, where he bragged about his collection of sports cars that have now been seized by authorities
Since his arrest last week, a series of posts have appeared on Tate’s Twitter account.
One of them, posted Thursday, reads: ‘Your enemies perpetuate ‘justice’ and ‘civility’ in a society designed to enslave you. You feel sad inside FOR A REASON. You can feel something isn’t right. You must escape the Matrix.’
In recent years Tate has cultivated a devoted following on social media where brags about his lavish lifestyle. He also runs the ‘Hustler’s Academy’ where 127,000 subscribers, mostly men, pay him £39 a month for tips on getting rich and dealing with life.
The former kickboxer has previously said he moved to Romania with his brother because they believed they would receive less attention from the police.
In many videos he rails against women and gives his own unique brand of advice to men on how to behave around them.
Shortly before his arrest he was involved in a late Twitter with climate activist Greta Thunberg, where he bragged about his collection of sports cars that have now been seized by authorities.
