Andrew Tate charged in Romania over minor trafficking case
SingTao · 1 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Romanian prosecutors on September 4 formally charged controversial influencer and former kickboxer Andrew Tate with trafficking of minors, money laundering, sex with a minor and witness tampering, while his brother Tristan Tate was named as a co-offender. The indictment alleges one 15-year-old girl was deceived into travelling to Bucharest, then forced through violence, threats and surveillance to perform on adult webcam platforms, generating about US$1.25 million in commissions for the brothers
Key Points
- Romania's Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism, or DIICOT, said Tate lured a 15-year-old in Luton in 2012 with promises of a serious relationship and marriage
- Prosecutors said the girl was taken to Bucharest and coerced by physical violence, intimidation and monitoring into appearing on adult live-streaming platforms
- The indictment alleges the Tate brothers seized as much as 80% of the victim's earnings, about US$1.25 million, and used the proceeds to buy four luxury cars worth roughly €800,000
- Tristan Tate was identified as a co-offender and was also accused of using physical violence to force the victim's compliance
- Prosecutors also alleged Andrew Tate had repeated sexual relations with another 15-year-old girl between 2020 and 2021
Why It Matters
The case deepens legal pressure on the Tate brothers across multiple jurisdictions, as they are also wanted in Britain over separate allegations including rape, trafficking for sexual exploitation and child abuse image offences involving at least seven victims and 59 charges. For Hong Kong readers, the story has added local resonance because the brothers were seen publicly in Lan Kwai Fong and on a yacht in Victoria Harbour in March before Tristan and Andrew Tate were arrested in Miami in mid-July and jailed pending a decision on possible extradition to Britain