Andrew Tate and Jake Paul were in talks to throw down in 2023.
Those plans are likely kaput now that Tate has been detained — along with his brother Tristan and two other suspects — in a human trafficking case in Romania. Tate and Co. could also be facing charges of rape and organized crime, according to Reuters.
Tate’s attorney insists the former kickboxer, who was last seen hanging around bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling at UFC 280, is not under arrest but simply being detained for questioning; however, prosecutors petitioned the court to hold the suspects for an additional 30 days as it continues its investigation.
“The four suspects appear to have created an organized crime group with the purpose of recruiting, housing and exploiting women by forcing them to create pornographic content meant to be seen on specialized websites for a cost,” prosecutors said on Thursday.
Tate previously told Mirror.co.uk that his Romania-based webcam studio, featuring 75 lingerie-clad models taking web calls at roughly $4 per minute, was a “total scam” and that his female employees were creating phony scenarios to bilk desperate men of their money.
“It’s a total scam,” Tate said. “The model just has their hands on a keyboard that isn’t even plugged in. I have real professionals who are fluent in English behind the scenes getting men hooked, finding out their interests, the name of their dog. A guy will come online, they’ll say, ‘How’s Sparky?’ It’s an operation of professionals who lure these men in.”
Authorities have been investigating the operation for the better part of 2022.
There was more going on behind the scenes than just phone sex, according to prosecutors, alleging “one of the suspects raped a victim on two separate occasions” while “at least six victims were allegedly sexually exploited by the organized criminal group.”
Charges have yet to be filed and Tate should be considered innocent until proven guilty.