The British 'influencers' Andrew and Tristan Tate have been prosecuted this Friday in Romania as suspects of several crimes, including trafficking minors, money laundering, and maintaining sexual relations continuously with a minor.
This Friday, the accusation from the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) of Romania against the Tate brothers, dated August 31, has come to light, stating that the two investigated, aged 39 and 38, should be brought to trial for "trafficking minors, continued money laundering, continued sexual relations with a minor, and influence on statements" and "for complicity in trafficking minors, continued money laundering, and influence on statements."
According to the accusation, Andrew Tate is attributed with having taken advantage of a 15-year-old victim, lured by the false promise of starting a romantic relationship with her. She was later taken to the United Kingdom where, in a residence in Luton, she would have been sexually exploited after being subjected to blackmail and threats. The Prosecutor's Office maintains that the young woman remained under constant surveillance and control and was also the subject of physical assaults.
Similarly, the Prosecutor's Office considers that the older brother allegedly pushed the minor to participate in pornographic acts for the creation and dissemination of content and to carry out activities on a video chat platform, from which he obtained economic benefits.
Furthermore, the Prosecutor's Office of this Romanian judicial institution requests the seizure of four high-end vehicles with a total estimated value of 825,000 euros, according to information released by the Agerpres agency.
In a statement, the lawyer for the brothers, Eugen Vidineac, has indicated that his clients deny all the accusations made. "We will examine all aspects of the accusation with the same level of rigor and will challenge any evidentiary, procedural, or legal deficiencies through the corresponding judicial procedure," he stated.
The 'influencers' were arrested last July in Miami, United States, after being sought by British authorities for alleged crimes of rape, trafficking, assault, and offenses related to indecent images of children, as well as extreme pornography, following the statements of four new victims.
The brothers, who gained notoriety for their career as boxers, have been residing in Romania since 2017 and, for the past four years, have been under the spotlight of a criminal investigation related to human trafficking.