Tate brothers face new sex crime and human trafficking charges in Romania
Romanian prosecutors have filed new charges against influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate over trafficking and sexually exploiting minors, and are seeking to seize luxury cars worth about $958,000.
Romania's Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) has announced new charges against influencers and former professional kickboxers Andrew and Tristan Tate. Investigators say 39-year-old Andrew and 38-year-old Tristan earned more than $1.2 million by forcing a victim to perform sexual acts on webcam.
The brothers are currently held in a Miami jail and are fighting extradition to the United Kingdom, where they face separate charges of sexual offenses and human trafficking.
Seized cars and the charges
Romanian prosecutors have requested the seizure of four luxury vehicles belonging to the brothers, valued at roughly $958,000 combined. Andrew is charged with trafficking minors, prolonged money laundering, and sexual acts with a minor, while Tristan is charged with complicity in trafficking minors and money laundering.
According to investigators, between 2012 and 2021 Andrew exploited a vulnerable woman who had been recruited by Tristan when she was 15 years old. She was housed in a building in Luton, near London, where she was sexually exploited and controlled through surveillance and physical violence. Andrew later moved her to Romania to continue the exploitation. Tristan is accused of using physical force to ensure the victim complied with demands to perform in webcam sessions.
Andrew is additionally accused of having a sexual relationship with another 15-year-old girl in Romania. Both brothers are also charged with attempting to bribe a witness into refusing to testify, as well as with laundering money through the purchase of the now-seized cars.
The Tate brothers, who have millions of followers on social media, deny both the new Romanian charges and the earlier charges brought against them in the UK.
