Romanian prosecutors indict Andrew Tate for trafficking minors, money laundering

Romanian prosecutors officially charged social media influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan on Friday with trafficking minors, money laundering, having sex with a minor, and witness tampering. The charges come after years of investigation into the Tate brothers, who were arrested in Miami in late July following a request for their extradition from Britain.

The Tate brothers, who are former kickboxers with dual US and British citizenship, have been under criminal investigation in Romania since December 2022 for charges including human trafficking. They deny all allegations. Romanian prosecutors revealed that the Tates recruited their victims by enticing them and falsely claiming to seek a relationship or marriage, forcing them into producing pornographic content for a webcam business.

They allege that Andrew Tate, in particular, sexually exploited a 15-year-old victim in Romania, using physical violence and mental intimidation to force her to create pornographic content for social media. The brothers allegedly kept $1.25 million from the victim's webcam income, approximately 80% of her earnings. They attempted to launder the money by purchasing four luxury vehicles.

The Tate brothers have a history of building a hyper-masculine image as self-made millionaires, attracting a mainly young male audience. Andrew Tate has previously stated that he moved to Romania due to a perceived lack of law enforcement in his home country. Both brothers remain in US custody while a judge decides on their extradition request to Britain, where they face rape charges.