The self-styled “misogynist” influencer, Andrew Tate, has been charged by Romanian authorities with human trafficking, rape, and creating a gang to sexually exploit women.

Both Mr. Tate and his brother, Tristan Tate, were arrested in December and held in a Romanian jail until March. The two brothers were then released to house arrest at Mr. Tate’s so-called “Hustler’s Academy.”

Mr. Tate, a professional kickboxer, became well known online for espousing misogynistic views. He moved to Romania in 2017 because he thought the country was corrupt and his antics would go unchallenged by local authorities, according to his lawyer, Eugen Vidineac.

Mr. Tate said that he moved to Romania because he thought the country would be less likely to investigate allegations if he was accused of rape and sexual assault, claiming that the Me Too movement had “destroyed the safety of men.”

“I like the idea of just being able to do what I want,” Mr. Tate said in a YouTube video that has since been taken down but is still available on sites like Reddit. “If you’re a man living in England or Germany, or America or any of the western world right now you’ve decided to live in a country where any woman… can destroy your life.”

Romania’s organized crime law enforcement agency said that prosecutors have filed charges against the Tate brothers as well as two Romanian women who were arrested at the same time as them.

Tuesday, a spokesman for Mr. Tate, Mateea Petrescu, said that the brothers were prepared to “demonstrate their innocence and vindicate their reputation.”

“Tate’s legal team are prepared to cooperate fully with the appropriate authorities, presenting all necessary evidence to exonerate the brothers and expose any misinterpretations or false accusations,” Mr. Petrescu said. 

The charges against Mr. Tate have dredged up some of his most incendiary comments, including his claims that women should “bear responsibility” for being  sexually assaulted and his self-characterization as being “absolutely a misogynist.”

“I’m a realist and when you’re a realist, you’re sexist,” Mr. Tate once said in a YouTube video. “There’s no way you can be rooted in reality and not be sexist.”

Romanian officials have also ordered the confiscation of some of the Tate brothers’ assets, including 15 luxury cars, $3 million in cryptocurrency and other luxury goods like watches.