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If you’ve spent enough time on the internet over the past few years, you’ve likely stumbled across at least one video featuring Andrew Tate, the self-proclaimed Alpha Male who expertly gamed various algorithms to further his career as an influencer while broadcasting his controversial philosophy to the masses.
Many critics accused Tate of routinely deploying sexist and misogynistic messaging in a quest to grow his Personal Brand, and things took a very interesting turn at the end of 2022 when he and his brother Tristan were arrested in Romania and charged with human trafficking and other charges for allegedly keeping multiple women captive in a house there.
It didn’t take long for law enforcement officials in the country to seize Tate’s fleet of luxury cars as he lobbied for his release from jail, and while his detention was extended multiple times, he was ultimately freed and placed under house arrest in March.
While Tate appeared to put on a fair amount of muscle while incarcerated, he looked fairly haggard in a photo he posted in April accompanied by a message where he implied he’d been poisoned by an unspecified foe.
While only time will tell what the future holds for the divisive figure, his legal prospects are looking increasingly grim based on a development that unfolded on Tuesday.
According to Reuters, prosecutors handling his case have opted to escalate one of the initial charges from simply “human trafficking” to “human trafficking in continued form,” a more severe crime that carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
The outlet reports investigators have also added a seventh alleged victim to the group of the six women who initially came forward to speak out against Tate and that a separate inquiry has been launched into similar crimes that may have been orchestrated by Vlad Obuzic, who appears to have a relationship with Tate based on multiple pictures of them together on social media.
It’s unclear when the trial will officially begin, but it currently appears prosecutors are hoping to take things to the next stage by the end of June.