Romanian prosecutors have indicted social media influencer Andrew Tate on charges of trafficking minors, sex with a minor, and money laundering.
Romania's anti-organised crime agency DIICOT announced the indictment on Friday, adding further legal pressure on Tate, who along with his brother Tristan was jailed in the United States in July after prosecutors in the United Kingdom requested their extradition on rape charges.
DIICOT said Andrew and Tristan Tate recruited victims by falsely claiming to seek a relationship or marriage, before forcing them to produce sexually exploitative content for a webcam business. Tristan was indicted for complicity in the case.
According to prosecutors, one of Andrew Tate's victims was 15 years old when he seduced her in Britain in 2012, before moving her to the Romanian capital Bucharest. He then used physical violence and psychological intimidation to force her into producing indecent images for social media. Tristan was said to have used physical aggression to coerce the same victim.
Prosecutors said the brothers kept $1.25 million from video chat income generated by the victim, representing roughly 80 percent of her earnings. They allegedly attempted to launder the funds by purchasing four luxury cars.
DIICOT further alleged that the brothers' victims were paid or intimidated in an effort to persuade them "not to give statements or to give false statements."
Eugen Vidineac, a Romanian lawyer for the Tates, rejected the allegations on behalf of his clients.
"We will examine every aspect of [the indictment] with the same level of scrutiny and we will challenge any evidential, procedural or legal deficiencies through the appropriate judicial process," he said. "Our clients continue to reject the allegations against them."
The Tate brothers are former kickboxers with dual US and British citizenship who built a large social media following, particularly among young men. Their content frequently criticised gender equality and argued for male dominance.
They were arrested in Florida in late July following the UK's extradition request. Andrew Tate's official social media accounts have since alleged that the charges against him amount to persecution for his social and political views.
Romanian authorities first opened an investigation into the brothers in December 2022, around five years after they relocated to the country. Andrew Tate had previously boasted in online videos that he moved to Romania because law enforcement there was more lenient.
The brothers were previously indicted in Romania on human trafficking charges, but in late 2024 the Bucharest Court of Appeals sent the case back to prosecutors after ruling that some evidence was inadmissible.
The case is now bound for a preliminary court chamber for a judge's review. Romanian law permits prosecution of defendants in absentia. While the law sets a 60-day deadline for the preliminary chamber judge to finalise the case's advancement, indictments routinely take significantly longer in practice.
It remains unclear whether DIICOT will seek the brothers' extradition from the United States, or whether Romania will follow the UK's lead in making such a request.
