Romanian prosecutors officially indicted Andrew Tate on Friday on charges including trafficking minors and money laundering after years of investigation.
Prosecutors also indicted Tate for sex with a minor, witness tampering and his brother Tristan for complicity, years after they first began investigating them.
The Tate brothers, former kickboxers with dual US and British citizenship, were arrested in Miami in late July after Britain requested their extradition. They have denied any wrongdoing.
The brothers remain in jail in the United States while a judge decides on their extradition to face rape charges.
A spokesperson for the Romanian anti-organised crime prosecuting unit DIICOT — which is investigating the Tates — said it was not immediately clear whether the unit will seek their extradition from the United States.
The Tates can be tried in absentia in Romania, but the trial will not start immediately. Under Romanian law, the indictment gets sent to a preliminary court chamber, where a judge will inspect the case files to ensure legality.
Eugen Constantin Vidineac, Romanian lawyer for Andrew and Tristan Tate, said in a statement on Friday: “Today’s decision by DIICOT does not determine guilt and it should not be presented as though it does. It represents the prosecution’s latest attempt to bring this case before a court following the failure of its previous indictment to proceed to trial.
“The history of these proceedings matters. The previous indictment was subjected to judicial scrutiny and the court identified significant irregularities which prevented the case from moving forward to trial.
“DIICOT has now chosen to file a new indictment. We will examine every aspect of it with the same level of scrutiny and we will challenge any evidential, procedural or legal deficiencies through the appropriate judicial process.
“Our clients continue to reject the allegations against them. They have the right to the presumption of innocence, the right to properly examine the evidence relied upon against them and the right to mount an effective defence.”
Self-proclaimed ‘misogynist’ Andrew rose to fame following his appearance on Big Brother in 2016. The brothers have since amassed a following of millions online, prompting their views on masculinity and wealth.
Andrew was first charged in Romania with rape, human trafficking and forming an organised criminal group to sexually exploit women in 2023. His brother and two Romanian associates also faced charges, and all denied the allegations.
The brothers were put under house arrest in August 2024 when Romanian prosecutors launched a second criminal investigation over allegations of trafficking of minors, sexual intercourse with a minor and money laundering.
The pair have been held in federal custody in the United States since July of this year while awaiting the outcome of a separate extradition request from the British authorities over criminal charges of rape, assault and sex trafficking.
Last week, they told a Florida court that they should be released from jail in order to fight their extradition to the United Kingdom. Andrew said he has “never committed the crimes I’m accused of”.
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