Romanian prosecutors ask to seize properties, 15 luxury cars, 14 watches, and bitcoin worth $560K from Andrew Tate

• Romania formally charged Andrew Tate on Tuesday, on counts of rape and human trafficking.
• Officials asked to seize 15 properties, 15 luxury cars, 14 watches and bitcoin worth $560,000.

Romanian prosecutors asked to seize 15 properties, 15 luxury cars, 14 watches and bitcoin worth $560,000 from Andrew Tate as part of indictment on rape and trafficking charges.

Romania's Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism announced Tuesday that Tate had been charged with rape and human trafficking, per a press release.

The announcement moved forward the case which burst into view in late last year with Tate's arrest. The requested asset seizures are a window into the wealth amassed by Tate, which is a key part of his online person and has loomed large in the criminal case against him.

Tate, a social media influencer best known for his misogynistic messaging, was arrested in December and placed in a Romanian jail while officials investigated human-trafficking and sexual assault allegations against him. He has been under house arrest since March.

The indictment includes Tate, his brother Tristan Tate, and two associates, all of whom face the same charges. The indictment also names seven victims who were recruited through the "loverboy method," the BBC reported — the method of using promises of love and marriage to manipulate women into sex work. All four maintain their innocence.

Reports of charges against the group describe a bleak world in which women made pornography for Tate under duress, with Tate's associates, Georgiana Naghel and Luana Radu, threatening to beat the women if they did not comply. Per Reuters, a 61-page court file said Naghel and Radu took half the money the women made via OnlyFans accounts, and also fined the women if they were late or sniffled on camera.

The file, made by Romanian prosecutors, also allege these women were transformed "into slaves," and one was raped by Tate twice.

Tate's assets that DIICOT has asked to seize includes just over 21 bitcoin, a DIICOT spokesperson confirmed to Insider. That amount of bitcoin is worth around $560,000 as of June 20. The assets could be used to compensate victims if he's convicted, Romanian authorities previously told Insider.

Some auto-translate software, including Google Translate, erroneously suggested that a much larger amount of Bitcoin worth $384 million had been seized, due to an error in interpreting the original Romanian.

Tate's wealth has been part of the investigation since the beginning. He was denied bail by a judge several times between January and March, because he was deemed a flight risk.

The judge in the case explained his decision to force the Tates to stay in jail, arguing that their wealth meant it was possible they would try and escape.

"The possibility that the suspects would evade investigation, leave Romania and settle in countries that do not allow extradition given their financial possibilities and public comments to that regard cannot be ignored," the judge said, according to Euro News.

Tate's boasting about his money are just some of the public statements he's made that could work against him in court. Over the years he has willingly described his tactics recruiting women, came close to endorsing rape, and said he moved to Romania because "corruption is far more accessible."

While he was incarcerated, Tate continued communicating with his fans — most of whom are young boys and men — through his newsletter, complaining of poor conditions, including lice and cockroaches in his cell.

The BBC reported that the trial is expected to last several years, and a Romanian judge has 60 days to view all the evidence before then.

Tate's spokesperson told the BBC: "We embrace the opportunity it presents to demonstrate their innocence."