At least one of the women who have accused controversial influencer Andrew Tate of rape and human trafficking has received legal threats from Tate.
According to the woman's US attorneys, a US law firm sent a "cease-and-desist" letter on behalf of Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan in December.
If she did not retract her statements, the letter threatened to sue the woman and her parents for $300 million (£249 million).
According to the Tates' attorney, they are pursuing legitimate defamation claims.
A letter that has been redacted and appears to have been sent on the brothers' behalf has been seen by the BBC.
"You have repeatedly made false and defamatory statements to the police, the media, and another United States citizen about the Tate brothers," it states. "In April 2022, you falsely stated to a third party that our Client had human trafficked you, abused you, and held you against your will. ".
While police look into allegations of trafficking and rape, which both men deny, Andrew and Tristan Tate are being held in preventative custody in Romania.
The letter was intended to accomplish "one thing and one thing only," according to Benjamin Bull, who works for the National Centre on Sexual Exploitation. His client is a key witness in the Romanian investigation.
He claimed that "[it] was intended to shut down the witness; stop the witness from presenting testimony in any proceedings.".
They want the girls to hide out in a hole, never speak up or describe what they saw or what happened to them. It's obviously an attempt to intimidate. ".
The BBC has been told by the Tates' attorneys that the cease-and-desist letter was sent in December as part of a civil case in the US for slander and defamation, but they reject any allegations of intimidation.
They were pursuing legitimate legal claims for defamation, according to one of their attorneys, Tina Glandian, who said that wasn't unusual. She asserted that the fact that the Tates are currently detained should not prevent them from asserting their legal rights.
Six women's testimonies are thought to be at least partially responsible for the rape and human trafficking allegations under investigation. There are currently no active charges.
The Tates' legal team also disclosed that the brothers had brought criminal charges against two women in Romania in April of last year, including the witness who had received the cease-and-desist letter in December.
According to Ms. Glandian, two women were allegedly being held against their will by the Tate brothers when the criminal complaints in April were made.
She claimed that there was "absolutely no evidence of that," which is the reason why [the Tates] weren't detained in April. They had every right to file a criminal complaint because their homes had been raided and property had been seized because they were nothing more than the victims of false accusations at the time. ".
She claims that those criminal complaints' outcomes are still pending.
Benjamin Bull, who is a lawyer for some of the Tate investigation's witnesses, claims that the effect of the legal process has been frightening and upsetting for his clients.
The online harassment that many of her clients experience for speaking out, according to Dani Pinter, a member of the same legal team, is also intimidating.
She informed me that Tate's supporters frequently shared professional videos intended to humiliate and harass them.
attempting to slut shame them by accusing them of lying, and making extremely obscene claims. But that also contains their personal information, like where they work and who their family members are, with the obvious goal of harassing them. And it's functioning. ".
She claims that the two alleged victims she is a representative of have been receiving death threats.
They're so terrified. Both of them are concealed. Because people are looking for them, they feel they can't settle down anywhere. ".
The six women in their case have had their names kept completely confidential by the prosecution. On social media, some people's full names have been revealed, though.
Even the US communications team for the Tates mentioned two witnesses by name in a statement to the BBC. They are not publicly identified by the BBC.
Although Andrew Tate and his brother are confined to a prison cell and are unable to access their social media accounts, they have amassed a sizable and devoted online community of followers.
Some accounts seem to be fully staffed operations, regularly releasing videos and documents meant to refute the claims made against the Tates by other women and witnesses.
The full name, social media handles, and WhatsApp messages of one of the investigation's alleged victims were published earlier this week by one of the most active accounts.
The BBC has reached out to the account for comment, but has not yet heard back.
Even those who only skim the surface of this tale may become a target.
When she was 16 years old, Daria Gusa told the BBC and other media outlets that she received a private message from Andrew Tate's Instagram account. It followed the same outline he provided in online speeches about how to capture a woman's interest and exert influence over her.
She didn't claim that he had broken any laws.
She informed me, "I received a number of messages. "The majority of them came from people accusing me of lying or calling me a slut. ".
But she also reported receiving "ten to fifteen threats" online.
I received a text message from a man saying, "I know you're studying at this university, the schedule is posted online, and I know where you are," Daria said.
She claims that some of her friends who also appear to have interacted with him have shied away from talking about their encounters.
She said, "It's not just the employees of him. "I think it's completely understandable that so many girls don't want to speak out because there are literally millions of men who really idolize these people and would do anything to protect them and their image, so I think it's completely justified. ".
It is unclear who exactly is in charge of some of the most popular accounts supporting the Tates or how much cooperation there is among them.
However, there can be significant and diverse risks involved for women who publicly make accusations against Andrew Tate.
