“An Extremely Dangerous Game”: How Andrew Tate’s Recent Behavior May Be Doing Him More Harm Than Good
In late March, misogynistic influencer Andrew Tate and his brother, Tristan, were released from Romanian jail and placed under house arrest, as were their two alleged accomplices, Georgiana Naghel and Luana Radu. It was a legal victory for the siblings, who were arrested on Dec. 29 on suspicion of organized crime and human trafficking. (Their trial is expected to begin in late April.) But authorities and legal experts who spoke to BuzzFeed News said that it has become clear that the brothers’ alleged behavior while in detention in their adoptive country of Romania is doing them more harm than good.
BuzzFeed News has learned that Romanian judges and prosecutors are annoyed at the defendants’ actions over the past number of months. Sources in the prosecutor’s office and court papers obtained by Buzzfeed News through freedom of information requests allege that the Tates devised a plot for Andrew to flee to Dubai, and that the brothers were behind attempts to pressure witnesses to withdraw their statements against them. In addition, prior to her arrest, Radu allegedly had accessed classified police computers with help from unknown people to gain an edge in the case.
According to the sources in the prosecutor’s office and outside experts, the group may face other criminal investigations into these allegations. “The Tates have played an extremely dangerous game,” said a person from the prosecutor’s office on the condition of anonymity, discussing statements from witnesses saying they were threatened by the influencers’ followers. (BuzzFeed News has not seen the statements in question.) “From [the Tates’] tweets, it appears they are encouraging it.” Although that source did not cite specific tweets, they added, “Every aspect of the case that touches on the victims is very sensitive.”
Mihai Mareș, a criminal defense lawyer in Bucharest and a lecturer of law at the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași, told BuzzFeed News that judges’ “irritation” at the Tate brothers was evident from the court papers — and was something that could come back to bite the siblings. “Any subsequent statements they may give will be viewed with a certain amount of skepticism by the judicial bodies,” he said.
In an official summary of a Feb. 21 court session, a judge cited “new reasons” for refusing to let the Tates out of the central arrest building in Bucharest. “The accused present a clear danger for public order, they made preparations to evade criminal investigation by leaving Romania, are trying to influence witnesses and are exerting pressure on the victims,” the judge wrote.
Despite this, two appeals court judges, said to be new to the case, on March 31 approved the Tates’ move to house arrest. The ruling caused anxiety in official circles; Buzzfeed News understands that the Tates’ current location, a compound in a well-heeled suburb north of Bucharest, is being kept under constant surveillance.
In late March, misogynistic influencer Andrew Tate and his brother, Tristan, were released from Romanian jail and placed under house arrest, as were their two alleged accomplices, Georgiana Naghel and Luana Radu. It was a legal victory for the siblings, who were arrested on Dec. 29 on suspicion of organized…
