Romanian prosecutors officially indicted Andrew Tate on Friday, September 4, 2026, for trafficking minors, money laundering, and sex with a minor. Tate and his brother Tristan, currently detained in Miami, face allegations of exploiting a 15-year-old girl through a webcam business, yielding over $1.25 million in illicit gains.
The indictment, issued by Romania’s Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT), marks a new escalation in a years-long legal battle for the former kickboxers. While the brothers are currently fighting extradition back to the UK for alleged offenses occurring between 2010 and 2017, this fresh Romanian case focuses on a specific pattern of sexual exploitation and financial crime.
The Recruitment and Exploitation of a 15-Year-Old
According to prosecutors, the criminal activity began in 2012 when Andrew Tate seduced a 15-year-old girl in Britain. DIICOT alleges the brothers recruited their victims by seducing them and falsely claiming a desire for marriage or a relationship to gain the victim’s trust before forcing her to produce pornographic content for a webcam business.
The victim was allegedly transported between the UK and Romania until December 2021. Prosecutors describe a mechanism involving physical violence, mental intimidation, emotional blackmail, and constant surveillance to ensure the victim continued her activities.
Tristan Tate is charged with complicity, with prosecutors alleging he was an accessory who used physical aggression to coerce the victim. His role included managing the victim’s video chat accounts and monitoring her activity.
$1.25 Million in Gains and Luxury Car Laundering
The financial stakes of the indictment are significant. Prosecutors claim the brothers obtained more than $1.25 million from the victim’s videochat income, which represents approximately 80% of her total earnings.
To hide the origin of these funds, DIICOT alleges the Tates engaged in money laundering. Specifically, between December 2023 and July 2024, the brothers purchased four luxury vehicles.
Romanian authorities are now seeking the confiscation of these four vehicles.
Witness Tampering and Additional Allegations
Beyond the primary trafficking charges, the indictment includes allegations of witness tampering.
Andrew Tate faces further specific charges regarding another minor. DIICOT alleges he had sexual relations with a second 15-year-old girl at two Romanian properties between December 2020 and mid-2021.
Defense Strategy and Legal Deadlock
The Tates’ legal team has framed this new indictment as a desperate move by prosecutors.
“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.”
Eugen Constantin Vidineac, lawyer for Andrew and Tristan Tate
The brothers remain in the Federal Detention Center in Miami, Florida. This creates a complex jurisdictional knot: while they are held in the U.S. awaiting a decision on extradition to Britain, Romania has now formalized these new charges. While they can be tried in absentia in Romania, a spokesperson for DIICOT stated it is not yet clear if the unit will seek their extradition from the United States.
Under Romanian law, the case now moves to a preliminary court chamber where a judge will inspect the files for legality. Although the law suggests a 60-day window for this report, such proceedings routinely take significantly longer.
The brothers continue to maintain their innocence. In a separate statement to Newsweek, lawyer Joseph McBride asserted that the world knows Andrew and Tristan are innocent
and characterized the U.S. detention as an egregious abuse of its own authority
.
This latest indictment transforms the Tates’ legal situation into a multi-front war. By linking the recruitment method to specific luxury assets and witness tampering, Romanian prosecutors are attempting to build a case of organized crime that transcends the individual rape charges they face in the UK.
