Andrew Tate has sought to fight rape and trafficking allegations while in police custody, directing associates to recruit two right-wing lawmakers to his cause, according to wiretaps of his phone calls submitted to a court by Romanian prosecutors.
The internet celebrity instructed two associates to tell the Romanian politicians, George Simion and Diana Iovanovici-Sosoaca, that he was being framed and supporting him would be "very good for their careers," according to one of the exchanges.
"So make it clear to them: You will get a lot of votes when Tate says you took their side," the former kickboxer said in the Jan. 28 call to two of his associates.
Transcriptions of the wiretapped calls are included in a previously unpublished court document, dated Feb. 21, compiled by Bucharest court officials and reviewed by Reuters.
Simion, a politician in Romania's lower house, told Reuters he had never been contacted by Tate or his associates, and wouldn't publicly support Tate if he was asked to.
Asked if he thought Tate had been framed, he replied: "The justice system will decide, not politicians."
A spokesperson for Iovanovici-Sosoaca, a senator, said the wiretapped conversations were "lies" designed to attack her.
The wiretapped calls were made between Jan. 28 and Jan. 31, according to prosecutors, about a month after Tate, 36, was detained with his 34-year-old brother Tristan on suspicion of rape, human trafficking and forming an organized crime group.
The brothers have denied all the charges. Reuters was unable to reach them in police detention for comment.
Contacted about the wiretap calls, the Tates' lawyer Eugen Vidineac and a spokesperson for the prosecutors both declined to comment on an ongoing investigation.
Reuters couldn't independently verify the identity of the people in the wiretapped calls, or determine if any lobbying of politicians took place. The news organization translated the exchanges - which appear in Romanian in the court document - back into English, the language used by Tate, which means that, while accurate, they might not match his original wording.
British-American Tate, who has been based mainly in Romania since 2017, is an online influencer and self-described misogynist who has built up a following of millions of fans, particularly among young men drawn to his hyper-macho image.
The wiretapped calls offer a window into his multi-pronged attempts to defend himself while in detention, efforts that stretch beyond the courtroom into the realms of politics and social media.
Also in the Jan. 28 call, detailed in the court document, Tate directs his associate Luke to release "party clips" on social media that he said shows at least one of his alleged trafficking victims dancing in Bucharest.
"Yes, put them everywhere and say, 'This girl says she is kidnapped when she is not kidnapped'," Tate says.
"You're saying you want me to discredit them, have social media pull hard, yes?" asks Luke.
"Yes, screw them," Tate replies.
The court document records the minutes of a Bucharest court hearing on Feb. 21, when a judge extended the Tates' detention until late March, as well as evidence submitted by the prosecutors, who allege the brothers ran a human-trafficking operation focused on creating online pornography.
Alexandru Risnita, another lawyer for the Tates, dismissed suggestions that the brothers were a flight risk if released from custody while the investigation progressed, the minutes show. He said it would be very hard for his clients to travel unnoticed because they were "the most famous people on the planet at the moment."
(Reporting by Luiza Ilie, Octav Ganea and Andrew R.C. Marshall; Editing by Jason Szep and Pravin Char)
Both the Liberals and Conservatives are claiming a win after the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) released an updated report on the economic impacts of the federal carbon tax on Canadian households.
Donald Trump has vowed to renegotiate the USMCA free trade agreement with Canada and Mexico.
The northern lights could be visible across most of Canada on Thursday night.
A Halifax-area couple has been ordered to pay nearly $61,000 in damages and $4,000 in court costs after their dog attacked and injured a homecare nurse at their residence in 2016.
TD Bank will pay US$3 billion to settle charges that it failed to properly monitor money laundering by drug cartels, regulators announced Thursday.
Milton made landfall as a Category 3 storm Wednesday night, causing widespread destruction and immobilizing critical infrastructure. Hundreds of residents have been rescued so far.
The hosts of ABC's 'The View' clapped back at Donald Trump on Thursday, a day after the Republican nominee for president insulted co-hosts Sunny Hostin and Whoopi Goldberg.
Several models of Fisher-Price infant swings have been recalled in Canada after the company received reports of fatalities link to affected products.
The superintendent of the Winnipeg School Division (WSD) has apologized over a message displayed during a professional development day on Wednesday.
Police north of Toronto have released video of what they鈥檙e describing as a violent, targeted robbery in Thornhill, where suspects boxed in the victim鈥檚 car and made off with a suitcase filled with cash.
Several models of Fisher-Price infant swings have been recalled in Canada after the company received reports of fatalities link to affected products.
One of the B.C. Conservative candidates running in the province's second-largest city has apologized for "completely unacceptable" comments he made about Muslims and Palestinians.
A Halifax-area couple has been ordered to pay nearly $61,000 in damages and $4,000 in court costs after their dog attacked and injured a homecare nurse at their residence in 2016.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he's in favour of mandatory, involuntary drug and psychiatric treatment for kids and prisoners who are found to be incapable of making decisions for themselves.
The superintendent of the Winnipeg School Division (WSD) has apologized over a message displayed during a professional development day on Wednesday.
Ethel Kennedy, the wife of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy who raised their 11 children after he was assassinated and remained dedicated to social causes and the family鈥檚 legacy for decades thereafter, died on Thursday, her family said. She was 96.
A congressional candidate who said he was tricked by Democrats into running as a spoiler in a competitive House race in Minnesota suspended his campaign Thursday and endorsed his Republican rival.
A 59-year-old man was killed in a 'horrific' attack by a pack of dogs in a backyard next to a house where two dozen of the animals were kept, police said Thursday.
Donald Trump on Thursday again complained about the federal response to natural disasters that have damaged much of the Southeast as he seeks to gain a political advantage from the tropical weather.
Gunmen invaded another town north of Haiti鈥檚 capital on Thursday, shooting at people and setting homes on fire, just a week after a massacre killed at least 115 people in the country鈥檚 central region. The number of casualties was not immediately known.
Prince William and the Princess of Wales on Thursday carried out their first joint public engagement since the end of Kate's chemotherapy by meeting the bereaved parents of victims of a stabbing rampage in the seaside town of Southport.
Donald Trump has vowed to renegotiate the USMCA free trade agreement with Canada and Mexico.
The federal government is spending $4.9 million to remove a load of heavy oil from a United States military ship that sank off the coast of British Columbia nearly 80 years ago but now poses "significant risk" of a major spill due to deterioration.
Both the Liberals and Conservatives are claiming a win after the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) released an updated report on the economic impacts of the federal carbon tax on Canadian households.
Twin brothers who were born conjoined recently celebrated their first birthday after undergoing successful separation surgery.
Bayer must pay US$78 million to a Pennsylvania man who said he got cancer from using the company's Roundup weedkiller, a state court jury in Philadelphia found on Thursday.
For Scarlett Hicks, everyday life is challenging, as the two-year-old lives with a long list of medical conditions.
The northern lights could be visible across most of Canada on Thursday night.
Expectations are high for the long-awaited unveiling of Tesla's robotaxi at a Hollywood studio Thursday night. Too high for some analysts and investors.
Florida saw a record number of tornado warnings in a single day Wednesday. An expert says this phenomenon is not unheard of.
A newly released trailer for a Calgary-filmed movie features plenty of shots of local landmarks.
Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard has abandoned his bid to appeal his 2022 sexual assault conviction before Canada's top court.
A May 5 trial date was set in hip-hop mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking case Thursday, and a prosecutor claimed defence lawyers were trying to exclude a 'damning piece of evidence' by saying it was leaked by the government.
Air Canada pilots have given the green light to a tentative agreement with the airline, dashing fears of a future strike and overcoming concerns about entry-level pay and quality-of-life provisions.
TD Bank will pay US$3 billion to settle charges that it failed to properly monitor money laundering by drug cartels, regulators announced Thursday.
Bayer must pay US$78 million to a Pennsylvania man who said he got cancer from using the company's Roundup weedkiller, a state court jury in Philadelphia found on Thursday.
As a parent, you want your child to spread their wings and fly, not crash down to reality when they first enter the job market.
A new poll suggests half of 18- to 50-year-olds in Canada who plan on having kids have delayed parenthood, with respondents citing reasons that include financial uncertainty, difficulties finding a partner and the cost of child care.
Jeff Warner from Aidie Creek Gardens in the northern Ontario community of Englehart has a passion for growing big pumpkins and his effort is paying off in more ways than one.
Former Toronto Raptors guard Danny Green has announced his retirement from the NBA.
Strong winds from Hurricane Milton caused extensive damage to the roof of St. Petersburg's Tropicana Field, home of the MLB's Tampa Bay Rays.
Rafael Nadal is retiring from professional tennis at age 38, he announced in a video message Thursday, after winning 22 Grand Slam titles 鈥 14 at the French Open 鈥 during an unprecedented era he shared with rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
Dozens of cars were pulled out of the Detroit River in west Windsor on Tuesday, causing many questions for Windsorites.
Hundreds of thousands of vehicles are being recalled in Canada due to a steering-related issue that could increase a driver's risk of crash.
Mercedes-Benz has partnered up with the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) and the provincial government to launch a new 鈥渋ncubator program鈥. One of the first three locations is Windsor, with the other two going to Toronto and Kitchener-Waterloo.
Jeff Warner from Aidie Creek Gardens in the northern Ontario community of Englehart has a passion for growing big pumpkins and his effort is paying off in more ways than one.
Saskatchewan鈥檚 Jessica Campbell has made hockey history, becoming the first ever female assistant coach in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Have you ever seen videos of hovercrafts online or on TV and thought, 'Wow, I wish I could ride one of those.' One Alberta man did, and then built his own.
A B.C. couple is getting desperate 鈥 and creative 鈥 in their search for their missing dog.
Videos of a meteor streaking across the skies of southern Ontario have surfaced and small bits of the outer space rock may have made it to land, one astronomy professor says.
A unique form of clouds made an appearance over the skies of Ottawa on Sunday evening.
Bernie Hicks, known as the 鈥楤atman of Amherst,鈥 always wanted to sit in a Batmobile until a kind stranger made it happen.
Bubi鈥檚 Awesome Eats, located on University Ave West took to social media to announce the closure on Friday.
Weeneebayko Area Health Authority and the Government of Ontario have awarded a $1.8 billion fixed-price contract to design, build and finance a new Far North hospital.
A B.C. man was found guilty and sentenced for murder after failing to convince a judge that the woman he killed and dismembered consented to the strangulation that caused her death.
The driver involved in the hit-and-run that killed 19-year-old Damien Seguin in Burnaby, B.C., three years ago has been given a conditional sentence.
Mounties on Vancouver Island say they made an unusual seizure during a recent drug trafficking investigation.
Police north of Toronto have released video of what they鈥檙e describing as a violent, targeted robbery in Thornhill, where suspects boxed in the victim鈥檚 car and made off with a suitcase filled with cash.
Three Toronto police officers have been injured in separate incidents involving alleged stolen vehicles in Etobicoke.
Mayor Olivia Chow is defending her handling of protests over the Israel-Hamas war that have rocked the city over the past year, a day after she faced criticism for missing a vigil to mark the anniversary of the Oct. 7 terrorist attack which sparked the war.
More than a month after the Alberta government announced it would be pulling funding for Calgary's Green Line project, Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen says progress has been made.
United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) delegates are meeting in Calgary this week to discuss stalled labour negotiations with the province.
Calgary police are asking for the public鈥檚 assistance to identify two suspects believed to be involved with a shooting that took place in downtown Calgary last week.
OC Transpo says moving forward, its Zero Emission Buses (ZEB) program will procure 40-foot e-buses due to limited availability from manufacturers of 60-foot articulated buses.
Former Ottawa resident Angelina Armstrong-Mann says it was clear when Hurricane Milton made landfall as a Category 3 storm in Florida Wednesday night鈥攕he heard it.
The transit service conducted a fare compliance blitz between September 3 and 30, with 12 fare inspectors "active across the transit network, enforcing fare regulations," OC Transpo said.
A man is in life-threatening condition after being shot in a Laval parking lot Thursday afternoon.
A 32-year-old woman from Ile-Bizard is facing jail time after she was found guilty Thursday of driving while impaired by prescription drugs.
Montreal police Chief Fady Dagher made a plea Thursday to parents of youth being recruited by criminal gangs: if officers knock on their door with information that their children are headed for trouble, please hear them out.
An Edmonton daycare has been shut down after failing to address concerns about unsupervised children, the province said Thursday.
The government of Canada will forgo up to $15.2 million in rental fees charged to the municipality of Jasper, Alta., as well as its residents and business owners over the next few years.
A controversial casino has been approved for south Edmonton.
Doctor Scott Bowen at the Cumberland Regional Hospital in Amherst, N.S is said he is alarmed by the state of Nova Scotia鈥檚 emergency rooms.
The aurora may be visible in some parts of the Maritimes Thursday night.
Hurricane Milton's devastation in Florida impacts Maritimers near and far
A woman is speaking out after an assault on a Winnipeg Transit bus sent her and her daughter to the hospital.
The superintendent of the Winnipeg School Division (WSD) has apologized over a message displayed during a professional development day on Wednesday.
A new report taking a second look at sleep safety in infants found a fundamental shift is needed to prevent babies from unnecessarily dying in their sleep.
RCMP say officers have found an abandoned vehicle and seized a firearm connected to an armed robbery in the Whitewood, Sask. area Wednesday night, but are still on the hunt for two suspects.
Amid what could be Saskatchewan's tightest election in 17 years, the leader of the NDP is asking voters to set party politics aside and support what's the best course for the province.
Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe says he would get tough on those disrupting the public and will shut down nuisance properties if re-elected premier on Oct. 28.
Ontario Provincial Police have arrested a Waterloo man who they believe is linked to a group that has been scamming victims across Canada.
The City of Guelph is calling its new bylaw, banning encampments in the downtown core, a compassionate and cautious approach to the growing problem in the community.
The skills of international students are being put to good use in the Canadian job market, according to a new first-of-its-kind study by University of Waterloo (UW) researchers.
Emails obtained by 愛污传媒 show a Saskatoon private school embroiled in abuse allegations considered mayoral hopeful Gord Wyant a "friend," but he says he cut off contact when the allegations came to light.
The Saskatchewan RCMP is responding to a report of an armed carjacking in Red Pheasant First Nation.
Amid what could be Saskatchewan's tightest election in 17 years, the leader of the NDP is asking voters to set party politics aside and support what's the best course for the province.
An Ontario man said he feels 'devastated' after learning his identity was stolen to take out two fraudulent loans under his name.
A 14-year-old student received non-life-threatening injuries Thursday afternoon in a collision with a vehicle in Chelmsford in Greater Sudbury.
TD Bank will pay US$3 billion to settle charges that it failed to properly monitor money laundering by drug cartels, regulators announced Thursday.
At around 9:15 a.m. emergency services responded to reports of a possible stabbing in the area of Oxford Street West and Fiddlers Green Road.
Just before 5:00 p.m., police were called to the two vehicle collision on 1st Avenue North between 4th Street and 5th Street NW, in the Municipality of Arran-Elderslie.
A blaze which at its peak reached 20 feet in the air had St. Thomas firefighters busy on Thursday.
Provincial police say seven people are facing charges after a massive grow operation bust outside Orillia, Ont., where over $2 million in cannabis plants were seized.
Police in Barrie are investigating a theft at a convenience store that they say turned violent on Wednesday afternoon.
Police are investigating a report of a foiled robbery at a Barrie business allegedly involving several suspects.
Brett Iler has pleaded not guilty to six charges of careless driving under the Highway Traffic Act in a collision that killed two people and injured three others.
A Harrow mother is advocating for her eight-year-old daughter鈥檚 bus stop to be moved, over concerns the current location puts her in harm鈥檚 way.
The removal of 13 vehicles and one trailer from the Detroit River in Sandwich Town is complete.
Mounties on Vancouver Island say they made an unusual seizure during a recent drug trafficking investigation.
A B.C. man was found guilty and sentenced for murder after failing to convince a judge that the woman he killed and dismembered consented to the strangulation that caused her death.
The federal government is spending $4.9 million to remove a load of heavy oil from a United States military ship that sank off the coast of British Columbia nearly 80 years ago but now poses "significant risk" of a major spill due to deterioration.
Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.
A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.
Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.
The Interfaith Food Bank is busy preparing Thanksgiving bundles and has some tips for anyone hoping to cut down on their holiday dinner costs.
A weapons complaint that led to the temporary lockdown of two Lethbridge schools Thursday turned out to be no threat, police said in a media release.
Thousands more Lethbridge residents will soon be without a family doctor.
Sault Ste. Marie Police Service said two people were arrested following a heavy police presence on Chapple Avenue on Thursday.
An annual international mining conference is underway in Greater Sudbury, Ont., marking the first time the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Conference of Mining Regions and Cities has been held in North America.
Jeff Warner from Aidie Creek Gardens in the northern Ontario community of Englehart has a passion for growing big pumpkins and his effort is paying off in more ways than one.
A Conservative MP from Newfoundland and Labrador says some small towns in his rural riding are overrun with crime, but police say they haven't received reports to that effect.
As millions in federal funding flow into a Labrador group whose claims of Inuit identity have been rejected by Indigenous organizations across Canada, a national Inuit leader worries the Liberal government is putting the rights of Indigenous Peoples at risk.
He may not have logged the fastest time or even gone the full distance, but residents of a Newfoundland town agree the goat who unexpectedly joined the local weekend half marathon was the event's undisputed champion.
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at 愛污传媒. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop.聽Read about us.
