The Tate brothers have officially been indicted by Romanian prosecutors for a range of trafficking and sex offences.
According to the Romanian Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT), the social media personalities are accused of making over €1million by coercing girls into performing sexual acts on video chats.
The older brother, Andrew, 39, is charged with trafficking minors, money laundering and having sex with a minor. Meanwhile, his brother Tristan, 38, is charged with complicity in trafficking in minors and money laundering.
The brothers are currently in a Miami jail fighting extradition to the UK over separate charges and deny all allegations made against them.
The brothers hold dual citizenship between the US and UK and have been under investigation in Romania, where they have lived since 2017, since 2022.
Romanian prosecutors released information on Friday stating a 15-year-old girl at the time was recruited by Andrew Tate and housed in a home in Luton, before he is accused of sexually exploiting her.
DIICOT investigators allege Andrew controlled her through surveillance and physical aggression, and coerced her to perform sex acts on video chats for his financial gain. He is also separately charged with having sex with a minor, who was 15 at the time of the alleged incident.
Prosecutors have also requested four of the brothers’ luxury cars worth £710,000 be confiscated. They believe money was laundered through their purchase.
It is not clear yet whether DIICOT will look for the Tate brothers’ extradition from the US, and a judge also has to examine the indictment before a trial can take place.
Their lawyer in Romania, Eugen Constantin Vidineac, said: ‘Today’s decision by DIICOT does not determine guilt and it should not be presented as though it does. It represents the prosecution’s latest attempt to bring this case before a court following the failure of its previous indictment to proceed to trial.
‘The history of these proceedings matters. The previous indictment was subjected to judicial scrutiny and the court identified significant irregularities which prevented the case from moving forward to trial.
‘DIICOT has now chosen to file a new indictment. We will examine every aspect of it with the same level of scrutiny and we will challenge any evidential, procedural or legal deficiencies through the appropriate judicial process.
‘Our clients continue to reject the allegations against them. They have the right to the presumption of innocence, the right to properly examine the evidence relied upon against them and the right to mount an effective defence.’
