The renowned New York Times publishes today, on the front page, an extensive dossier about the brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate and how they managed to leave Romania, despite being investigated for human trafficking, rape, and assaults on minors.
The investigation, based on dozens of interviews conducted in Romania, the USA, and the UK, as well as hundreds of pages of documents and private messages, reveals how two influencers from the so-called „manosphere” (a network of online communities and influencers focused on „men’s rights” and „masculinity”) ended up being defended by people in Donald Trump’s circle, leading to an „extraordinary” order from the Romanian government, which later paved their way to Florida.
From the ban on leaving Romania to "The Tate Escape"
The Tate brothers, American and British citizens, have been under investigation in Romania since 2022, accused of coercing women into pornography. Andrew is also accused of rape, as well as having sexual relations and beating a 15-year-old girl. Throughout this time, the two were banned from leaving Romania, writes New York Times.
On January 14 this year, shortly before Donald Trump's return to the White House, Andrew Tate sent a text message to a close person: "I received a message from the Trump Administration that they are on it. I was told I will be free soon, but Trump needs to see me in Miami."
New York Times reports that in the following month, an "extraordinary" order came from the highest levels of the Romanian government: prosecutors were told to find a "compromise" with the Tate brothers. Despite reservations, they lifted the travel ban, a decision that, according to sources cited by NYT, Prime Minister at the time, Marcel Ciolacu, believed would please the Trump administration.
On February 25, the brothers officially requested the lifting of restrictions. On the 26th, Andrew informed acquaintances that he had won. And in the early hours of February 27, the two Tates appeared in a video titled "The Tate Escape," boarding a private plane to Florida. "We're back in force," Andrew says in a separate video, addressed to fans.
Fracture in the conservative camp
New York Times shows that the arrival of the Tate brothers in the USA has caused a rare fracture within the American right and suspicions that the Trump administration intervened in their favor. Some officials of the new government are said to have played a "crucial" role, according to the newspaper's sources.
Diplomatic envoy Richard Grenell reportedly discussed the case twice with Romanian officials: once at Mar-a-Lago with Victor Ponta, the then prime minister's advisor, and then with the Foreign Minister at the time, Emil Hurezeanu, in the hallways of the Munich Security Conference. Initially, Ponta confirmed they had discussed the case. "Maybe he saw himself as freeing all American hostages in the world," Ponta said about Grenell. Then he backtracked, saying he didn't remember, and then that he was sure they hadn't discussed it.
Grenell claims everything was exaggerated and insists he was only asked to confirm an older tweet expressing his support for the Tate brothers.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ciolacu wrote on social media that the USA has not made any requests or pressures on Romania regarding the Tate brothers. The Prosecutor's Office stated to New York Times that it is constitutionally obligated to act independently and that all actions in the Tate case were legal. Ciolacu did not respond to requests for comments from American journalists. The White House, in turn, stated it is unaware and not involved in anything related to the legal issues of the Tate brothers.
Nevertheless, the lifting of restrictions and their flight to Miami fuel the debate. Republican Senator Josh Hawley says, "We should not use any influence of our government to get him out" of "extremely serious" accusations in Romania. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announces he does not want them in the country, and the Florida Attorney General launches an investigation.
From webcam in the UK to the Tate "empire" in Romania
The New York Times dossier retraces the path of the Tate brothers from the 2010s to the present. Andrew was initially known as a kickboxing fighter, but, he says, real money came when he and Tristan entered webcam modeling.
By 2015, they already had women housed in apartments and a hotel room in the UK, where they performed live webcam shows for paying clients. Tate recounted in a YouTube interview how he "converted" women: seducing them, convincing them to move in with him, work for him, and give him the majority of the earnings.
They also faced their first criminal complaints in the UK. Tristan was arrested after a woman accused him of assault. Andrew was arrested three times in a single year on charges of rape, strangulation, and assault with a weapon. None of the cases resulted in charges, but Tate says police pressure led him to leave. He chose Romania, where, he said in a podcast, "you can get away with things you can't in the West."
From Romania, the two continued their webcam business, both from there and the UK. In 2016, Andrew was selected for the reality show "Big Brother," but was kicked out after a video surfaced of him hitting his girlfriend with a belt. Both claim the scene was consensual. The scandal, however, did not harm their reputation but rather increased their online notoriety.
In the following years, Tate became one of the most searched persons on Google, promising young men "mental and physical discipline, entrepreneurship, and success with women." Their businesses expanded to TikTok, OnlyFans, and other platforms, where they even sold a "course" called PHD - "pimping hoes degree." A British court later determined that in eight years, they earned at least 21 million pounds and evaded taxes.
The Romanian dossier: "Lover Boy," violence, and minors
In December 2022, the brothers are arrested in Romania for three months. Prosecutors accuse them of forming a criminal organization and trafficking seven women, and Andrew - of rape.
The 360-page indictment, obtained by New York Times, describes a classic "Lover Boy" pattern: women were made to believe they were in a serious relationship, then convinced to do pornography and controlled through video surveillance, movement restrictions, and financial penalties if they "cried on camera" or broke the rules.
Prosecutors describe a case where, after a discussion via messages about coming to Romania, Andrew allegedly raped a woman twice, forcing her into group sex once. He reportedly squeezed another woman's throat so hard that blood vessels burst in her eyes.
In a chat titled "PIMPS," Tristan and two accomplices discuss how to punish a woman who announced she no longer wanted to work for them. The woman says, according to witnesses, that she was pushed to the ground and dragged out of the house.
In addition to the seven victims in the indictment, prosecutors claim that since 2014, the two have coerced over 30 other women, including a 17-year-old girl, to participate in their porn business. Andrew is separately accused of having sexual relations with a 15-year-old girl, beating her with a belt, choking her until she fainted, and then attempting to bribe her to keep quiet.
The brothers deny all criminal acts and claim many of the women do not see themselves as victims. In Romania, a judge invalidated the indictment in 2023 for procedural reasons, but prosecutors are working to correct it, and the case continues.
How they became heroes for a part of the American right
Meanwhile, Andrew Tate turned the controversy into political and image capital. He hires lawyer Joseph McBride, known for defending Trump supporters accused of assaulting the Capitol, who "sells" him to Tucker Carlson.
Carlson flies to Romania, films a 2.5-hour interview in 2023 at Tate's villa near Bucharest, and the material gathers over 112 million views. The two discuss the "left's war on masculinity," and Carlson incorrectly presents the Romanian case, claiming it does not involve sexual offenses or violence and is not "actually human trafficking."
Asked now by New York Times, Carlson says, "If I misrepresented the indictment or misunderstood the facts, I sincerely apologize," but adds that "the Tate brothers, regardless of their personal behavior, have a message worth hearing."
Other right-wing influencers follow suit. Charlie Kirk, close to Trump, admits he is disgusted by the porn business but says Tate "hits on something you're not allowed to say" about masculinity. Candace Owens interviews him as well, telling fans that "that's how men have fun," and her statements about women are compared to how "women sit and talk about Real Housewives" (a reality show featuring the lives of some of the wealthiest and most influential women in various cities - ed.).
During this time, Andrew begins to get closer to the Trump family. He says he exchanges messages regularly with Donald Trump Jr. During a joint live stream in 2024, he tells him: "From my point of view, you have people attacking you. They simply want to silence you."
Barron Trump, the youngest son of the president, is presented by close associates as a fan of Tate. Justin Waller, a collaborator of the Tate brothers, recounts attending a dinner with influencers at Mar-a-Lago, organized by Barron, and talking to him about relationships, image, and Trump's campaign. At one point, Waller says he and Barron had a video call with Andrew while Barron was trying on a suit. They discussed the Romanian file, which they saw as an attempt to silence the Tate brothers, and how they could use their online platforms to help Trump in the campaign.
After the assassination attempt on Trump, Andrew boasts of speaking with Barron and says: "I am very close to the Trump family. I can't wait to, once I am free, face Donald Trump and remind him that he is a guy that bullets cannot bring down."
After the flight to Miami, new investigations and legal proceedings
Upon arriving in the US, the Tate brothers are immediately subjected to a check: their electronic devices are confiscated at the border. Paul Ingrassia, meanwhile appointed liaison between the White House and the Department of Homeland Security of the United States and previously part of their legal team, reportedly tried unsuccessfully to recover their phones, writes ProPublica. However, he denies this. That same evening, the two celebrate in Miami, with cigars, alongside Justin Waller.
Legally, problems are multiplying. In the UK, women who had accused Andrew of rape and assault a decade earlier are suing him in civil court. Prosecutors authorize a new criminal case of trafficking and rape against both brothers, based on allegations from three other women.
In the US, according to the New York Times, anti-trafficking agents from the Department of Homeland Security have been investigating them for years, in collaboration with federal prosecutors who recently obtained the conviction of Sean "Diddy" Combs.
In California, a former girlfriend, Brianna Stern, says Andrew beat and strangled her before leaving for Bucharest. Prosecutors refuse to press charges, citing lack of evidence, but Stern obtains a protective order and files a civil lawsuit against him. Andrew sues her for defamation. He and Tristan have also filed a lawsuit in Florida against another woman mentioned as a victim in the Romanian case.
Currently, the Tate brothers continue their appearances in Dubai, Turkey, or Romania, but have not returned to the United States. Andrew continues to post radical political messages - including a call for "civil war" after the assassination of Charlie Kirk - but more and more allies from the conservative area are distancing themselves from him.
An exception is Nick Fuentes, known for his anti-Semitic and misogynistic rhetoric, who publicly praises him. "Tate may not be a model of Christian morality," says Fuentes in an interview with Tucker Carlson, "but men follow him because he puts women in their place."