Masked police officers in Romania have carried out fresh raids at the home of internet influencer Andrew Tate, who is awaiting trial on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women.

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Masked police officers in Romania carried out fresh raids early Wednesday at the home of divisive internet influencer Andrew Tate, who is awaiting trial on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women.

Romania’s anti-organized crime agency, DIICOT, said it was searching four homes in the counties of Bucharest and nearby Ilfov, investigating allegations of human trafficking, the trafficking of minors, sexual intercourse with a minor, influencing statements and money laundering. The agency added that hearings will later be held at its headquarters.

Tate’s spokesperson, Mateea Petrescu, said in response to the raids that “although the charges in the search warrant are not yet fully clarified, they include suspicions of human trafficking and money laundering” and added that his legal team is present. Petrescu did not address the allegations involving minors.

    • @norimee@lemmy.world
      -48•3 months ago

      Do you have to degrade trans people and people who dress outside the gender norm and imply that drag is or should be illegal? And imply what this asshole does (fucking trafficking minors) is as bad as drag?!

      Your comment either targets the wrong people in an attempt to shot at Tate or your opinions about drag are lowest level.

      • @breakingcups@lemmy.world
        81•3 months ago

        I think you’re entirely missing the point, which is that for all the notable arrests for sexual abuse of children (celebrities, politicians, priests, cops) it’s never someone in drag, even though that’s one of the GOP screaming points in trying to ban drag and trans people. They’re pointing out the ludicrousness of that message.

      • @Zachariah@lemmy.world
        56•3 months ago

        Did my comment need a /s on it?

        This is one more article about a child molester who isn’t a drag queen—even though there has been a lot of attacking of drag shows as a danger to children.

        And why are you bringing up trans people? Drag isn’t trans.

        • @Barbarian@sh.itjust.works
          17•3 months ago

          Did my comment need a /s on it?

          Probably. Poe’s law becomes firmer every day as vocal crazies become more and more outspoken.

          • @Samvega@lemmy.blahaj.zone
            3•3 months ago

            Poe’s law becomes firmer every day as vocal crazies become more and more outspoken.

            Yes. We’ve actually moved beyond ‘many celebrities are holograms, in reality they’re dead’. ‘Many elites are lizards’ is decades old, and is from the last century.

            The conspiracy landscape certainly requires a lot of… imagination, I guess, but completely harmful imagination.

        • @Serinus@lemmy.world
          2•3 months ago

          It wasn’t very clear because cross dressing is/was a pretty common thing, and isn’t the same as being a drag queen.

          It used to be one of the things schools would do for spirit week. So there are plenty of pictures of guys out there in “drag” that wouldn’t make them “drag queens”.

          It’s a minor bit of arguable semantics, really. It just happens to lead to confusion here.

        • WHYAREWEALLCAPS
          -16•3 months ago

          Did my comment need a /s on it?

          Yes? Never fucking assume people are going to get that you’re being sarcastic on the internet. JFC, isn’t that internet 101 anymore?

      • @Bogan@lemmy.world
        21•3 months ago

        That’s not at all what they’re saying, you’re missing the joke. They’re making fun of how conservatives are convinced sex traffickers and minor-abusers are always drag queens. They’re on your side.