Romanian prosecutors add new human trafficking claims to Andrew Tate case

• Romanian prosecutors added new human trafficking and financial allegations to the case.
• The criminal case against Andrew and Tristan Tate began in December 2022.
• Authorities accuse a British suspect of exploiting a vulnerable woman in 2017.

Romanian prosecutors have added new allegations of human trafficking and financial crimes to the ongoing criminal case involving Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan Tate on Thursday.

The long-running judicial matter has been active since December 2022, when the siblings were first detained in Romania during an initial investigation into alleged human trafficking. Judicial authorities are already investigating multiple serious charges against the duo, including human trafficking, forming an organised crime group, and money laundering.

The expansion of the legal case was announced by the Romanian anti-organised crime prosecutors, known formally as the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT).

The update comes after the brothers were previously placed under house arrest, moved to less strict monitoring, and eventually had their movement restrictions lifted in April 2026. Under the new part of the investigation, prosecutors allege that a 39-year-old British suspect exploited a vulnerable woman in 2017.

Allegations of emotional manipulation

Investigators allege that the female victim was deliberately misled into a romantic relationship before being pressured into producing explicit online content. Prosecutors also claim she faced systematic emotional manipulation and was forced to work through a specialised online platform. The expanded case also integrates separate money laundering accusations involving illicit corporate activities executed between 2018 and 2022.

Concealing assets through shell companies

State authorities say companies linked directly to the suspects were actively used to hide money allegedly earned through human exploitation. They claim large sums of money were systematically moved through bank transfers labelled as loans and later used to buy property, vehicles, and other assets.

Officials allege that these high-value assets were recorded as official company property but were actually used for the personal benefit of the suspects. The investigation is still ongoing, and authorities emphasised that all individuals involved are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.