Romanian prosecutors indict Andrew and Tristan Tate on trafficking charges

Prosecutors in Romania on Friday officially indicted social media influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan on trafficking charges, years after investigation into the brothers' activities began.

Andrew Tate was indicted for trafficking minors, money laundering, sex with a minor and witness tampering. His brother has been indicted for complicity.

The brothers hold dual US and British citizenship. They were arrested in Miami in late July, following a British request for their extriditionon rape charges.

Andrew Tate is one of the most prominent faces of the "manosphere", a male-centered social media movement rooted in anti-feminist discourse.

What did the Romanian prosecutors say about the Tates' indictment?

The Tate brothers have been mainly based in Romania since 2017, where they have been under criminal investigations since December 2022 on charges including human trafficking.

Romanian prosecutors said the Tates recruited their victims by falsely claiming to be seeking a relationship or marriage. They would then force them to produce pornographic content for a webcam business from which they mostly kept the profit.

The Romanian anti-organized crime prosecuting unit DIICOT said one of Andrew Tate's victims was only 15 when he seduced her in Britain in 2012, then moved her to Bucharest.

He then went on to exercise physical violence and mental intimidation to force her to produce pornographic content for social media sites.

Tristan was an accessory in the sexual exploitation committed by his brother, DIICOT said, using physical aggression to coerce the victim.

According to prosecutors, the Tates kept $1.25 million (roughly €1 million) from the camshow income generated by sexually exploiting the victim, which amounts to some 80% of her gains. They then tried to launder the funds by buying four luxury cars.

Can the Tates be extradited to Romania?

The spokesperson for DIICOT said it was not immediately clear whether the unit will seek the brothers' extradition from the US.

While they can be tried in absentia in Romania, the trial will not start immediately. Romanian laws stipulate that the indictment be sent to a preliminary court chamber for a judge to ensure the legality of the case files.

The preliminary chamber judge has 60 days to finalize the report, as per the law, but indictments tend to take significantly longer.

Andrew Tate, who is a self-proclaimed misogynist, and his brother have denied any wrongdoing.

"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," a Romanian lawyer for the Tates, Eugen Vidineac, said in a statement.