Andrew Tate, the self-proclaimed misogynist influencer, is facing new allegations of human trafficking and money laundering in Romania.
The 39-year-old dual British-American allegedly trafficked and blackmailed a vulnerable woman into filming online pornography from his compound on the outskirts of Bucharest in 2017, Romania’s Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT), said on Wednesday.
Tate, according to prosecutors, took advantage of the woman’s desperate need for money, mental health problems and isolation from her family for “sexual exploitation”.
The former champion kickboxer is said to have “psychologically coerced” the woman via the “lover boy” scam – a technique where the victim is showered with lavish gifts and promises of a better life to corral them into sex work.
Tate, in a video to his millions of online followers, described the method: “You have to f–k them, and they have to love you. It’s essential to the business.”
His alleged victim, who has not been identified, was forced into broadcasting pornographic performances over a computer webcam, a statement from DIICOT said.
She was kept inside a warehouse-turned luxury compound in Ilfov County owned by Tate and his brother Tristan, 37.
Eugen Vidineac, Andrew Tate’s Romanian legal counsel, said in response to the latest allegations: “This latest extension changes nothing in the substance of the file. The prosecution continues to rely on the same flawed evidence that led to the indictment being sent back by the court.”
“We encourage people to focus on the actual judicial record, which is years of investigation with no conviction and a previously rejected indictment.”
The brothers are jointly accused of laundering the proceeds of human trafficking between May 2018 and October 2022 to buy £2.5m worth of land, vehicles and a four-floor apartment.
Tristan, left, and Andrew give a speech outside their home in Romania last year – Inquam Photos/Eduard Vinatoru
The pair allegedly washed the funds from their illegal pornography business by installing themselves as shareholders and directors of two legitimate companies.
Illicit profits were poured into the companies as business loans, which the brothers then used for personal expenditure.
Tate was reportedly summoned to DIICOT’s headquarters in Bucharest on Wednesday and informed of the charges.
He is also being investigated for incitement to hatred or discrimination after allegedly posting misogynistic content on social media.
DIICOT had indicted the Tates and two Romanian female suspects on June 20, 2023 for human trafficking, rape, assault and organised-crime-related offences.
However, the following December, the Bucharest court of appeals ruled against sending the case for trial because of procedural flaws and returned it to DIICOT.
DIICOT’s announcement of a new investigation comes a week after the New Yorker Magazine published a nine-month investigation titled “Andrew Tate’s Empire of Abuse”.
The article reported how Tate allegedly coerced Bibiana Hruskova, a 15-year-old Slovakian teenager, into working for his webcam pornography business.
In the United Kingdom prosecutors have charged the Tates with 21 offences including rape, actual bodily harm and human trafficking.
The Crown Prosecution said Tate faces 10 charges connected to three alleged victims, including rape, actual bodily harm, human trafficking and controlling prostitution for gain.
Tristan faces 11 charges connected to one alleged victim, including rape, actual bodily harm and human trafficking.
However, authorities in Romania have ruled that they can only be extradited to the UK once the separate proceedings against them in Romania are concluded.
Tate is also facing a separate civil trial for allegations of rape and sexual violence against four British women that they say took place in Luton and Hitchin between 2013 and 2015.
The Tates have denied all wrongdoing in all the criminal cases they face.
Tate has also denied the civil allegations, describing them as a “pack of lies” and “gross fabrications” in a written defence submitted to London’s High Court.