Andrew Tate indicted in Romania for trafficking minors, money laundering

The UK has requested that Andrew and his brother Tristan be extradited from the US, but it remains unclear whether Romania will follow suit.

Andrew and Tristan Tate deliver a statement in front of their house after returning to Bucharest, Romania on March 22, 2025 [Eduard Vinatoru/Reuters]

Romanian prosecutors have indicted controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate on charges of trafficking minors, sex with a minor and money laundering.

The move on Friday piles further legal pressure on Tate, who along with his brother were jailed in the United States in July after prosecutors in the United Kingdom requested their extradition on rape charges .

list 1 of 3 Tate supporters rally for brothers ahead of bail hearing in Miami

list 2 of 3 Tate’s attorney says allegations ‘puts a target on their backs’

list 3 of 3 Tate brothers arrested in Miami as UK adds rape, trafficking charges

Romania’s anti-organised crime agency DIICOT said in a statement that Tate and his brother Tristan, who was indicted for complicity in the case, recruited their victims by falsely claiming to seek a relationship or marriage before forcing them to produce sexually exploitative content for a webcam business.

The Tate brothers have denied all wrongdoing.

DIICOT said one of Andrew Tate’s victims was 15 when he seduced her in Britain in 2012 before moving her to the Romanian capital Bucharest and using physical violence and psychological intimidation to force her into producing indecent images of children for social media.

Tristan was an accessory, the unit said, and used physical aggression to coerce the victim.

Prosecutors said the brothers kept $1.25m from the video chat income generated by the victim, or roughly 80 percent of her earnings. The brothers tried to launder the funds by buying four luxury cars, they added.

DIICOT alleges that the Tate brothers’ victims were paid or intimidated in a bid to coax them “not to give statements or to give false statements.”

Eugen Vidineac, a Romanian lawyer for the Tates, said in a statement that the brothers rejected the allegations.

“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 Tates are former kickboxers with dual US and British citizenship who amassed a vast social media following worldwide, especially among young men. Their content frequently criticised gender equality and argued for male dominance.

They were arrested in Florida in late July after the UK requested their extradition. Andrew Tate’s official social media accounts have bemoaned the conditions of his Miami jail and alleged that the charges against him are persecution for his social and political views.

Romanian authorities first opened a probe into the brothers related to potential crimes including human trafficking in December 2022, around five years after they moved to the country. Andrew Tate had boasted in online videos that he had relocated to Romania because law enforcement was more lax.

It was not immediately clear whether DIICOT would seek their extradition.

Romanian law permits the prosecution of defendants in absentia, and the case is now bound for a preliminary court chamber for a judge’s review. While the law states that the preliminary chamber judge has 60 days to finalise its advancement, indictments routinely take significantly longer.

The brothers were previously indicted in Romania on charges of human trafficking, but in late 2024 the Bucharest court of appeals sent the case back to prosecutors after deeming some evidence inadmissible.

英国已要求美国引渡安德鲁王子及其弟弟特里斯坦，但目前尚不清楚罗马尼亚是否会效仿。

2025年3月22日，安德鲁王子和特里斯坦·泰特返回罗马尼亚首都布加勒斯特后，在自家门前发表声明。[Eduard Vinatoru/路透社]

罗马尼亚检察官以贩卖未成年人、与未成年人发生性关系和洗钱等罪名起诉了备受争议的社交媒体影响者安德鲁·泰特。

周五的这一举动给泰特带来了更大的法律压力。今年7月，英国检察官以强奸罪名要求引渡泰特及其兄弟后，泰特和他的兄弟在美国被监禁。

（共3组，此为第1组）泰特的支持者在迈阿密保释听证会前集会声援他的兄弟

泰特的律师称这些指控“让他们成了众矢之的”，这是名单上的第2条（共3条）。

英国警方在迈阿密逮捕了三名泰特兄弟，并对他们追加了强奸和人口贩运指控。

罗马尼亚反有组织犯罪机构 DIICOT 在一份声明中表示，泰特和他的兄弟特里斯坦（因涉嫌参与此案而被起诉）谎称要与受害者建立恋爱关系或结婚，以此招募受害者，然后强迫她们为网络摄像头业务制作性剥削内容。

泰特兄弟否认有任何不当行为。

DIICOT 表示，安德鲁·泰特的一名受害者在 2012 年于英国被他诱骗时年仅 15 岁，之后他将她带到罗马尼亚首都布加勒斯特，并使用暴力和心理恐吓手段强迫她为社交媒体制作儿童不雅照片。

该部门称，特里斯坦是同谋，并使用暴力手段胁迫受害者。

检方称，这对兄弟从受害者的视频聊天收入中截留了125万美元，约占其收入的80%。他们还表示，兄弟俩试图通过购买四辆豪车来洗钱。

DIICOT 指控泰特兄弟向受害者支付报酬或进行恐吓，试图诱使他们“不作证或作虚假陈述”。

泰特兄弟的罗马尼亚律师尤金·维迪纳克在一份声明中表示，兄弟俩否认了这些指控。

他说：“我们将以同样的严谨态度审查起诉书的每一个方面，并通过适当的司法程序对任何证据、程序或法律上的缺陷提出质疑。我们的当事人继续否认对他们的指控。”

泰特夫妇是拥有美国和英国双重国籍的前自由搏击选手，他们在社交媒体上拥有遍布全球的大量粉丝，尤其是在年轻男性群体中。他们的内容经常批评性别平等，并鼓吹男性主导地位。

英国提出引渡请求后，他们于7月下旬在佛罗里达州被捕。安德鲁·泰特的官方社交媒体账号抱怨迈阿密监狱的恶劣条件，并声称对他的指控是对其社会和政治观点的迫害。

罗马尼亚当局于2022年12月首次对这对兄弟展开调查，怀疑他们涉嫌人口贩卖等犯罪活动，此时距离他们移居罗马尼亚已过去了大约五年。安德鲁·泰特曾在网络视频中吹嘘，他移居罗马尼亚是因为那里的执法力度较弱。

目前尚不清楚DIICOT是否会寻求引渡他们。

罗马尼亚法律允许对被告人进行缺席起诉，目前案件已移交预审法庭，由法官进行审查。虽然法律规定预审法庭法官有60天时间完成案件审理，但通常情况下，起诉书的审理时间会远超这个期限。

这对兄弟此前在罗马尼亚因贩卖人口罪被起诉，但在 2024 年底，布加勒斯特上诉法院认为某些证据不可采纳，并将此案发回检察官处。