Romanian prosecutors have accused Andrew and Tristan Tate of using a manipulative romance tactic, known as 'the lover boy method', to recruit women into their webcam pornography business. The Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) announced the expanded case on 3 July.
According to DIICOT, Tristan Tate 'recruited three victims by deceiving them regarding the existence of real feelings of love' between 2018 and 2021, before allegedly forcing and emotionally blackmailing them into producing pornographic content and performing on webcam.
How the Recruitment Scheme Allegedly Worked
DIICOT's announcement also names a 17-year-old victim, with prosecutors specifically accusing Andrew Tate of manipulating her into the webcam business between November 2014 and December 2021. Prosecutors allege he maintained her in 'a state of deception', managed her videochat accounts directly, monitored her activity and imposed financial targets she was expected to meet.
Through the alleged exploitation of this victim alone, prosecutors say more than $1.53 million (£1.1 million) was obtained. The new charges sit alongside the original 2024 case against the brothers, which centred on human trafficking and rape following their December 2022 arrest in Bucharest.
Prosecutors have now added money laundering, influencing witness statements, removal of seized assets and complicity in trafficking a minor to the list of alleged offences the brothers face in Romania.
Witness Intimidation and Luxury Car Sales
DIICOT alleges that between January 2023 and January 2024, Andrew Tate threatened two victims and two witnesses into withdrawing their statements or giving false ones to prosecutors.
Tristan Tate is separately accused of intimidating 11 witnesses over the same period. Both brothers are also accused of selling luxury cars to UK buyers despite prohibition orders barring them from doing so.
This prompted prosecutors to place a fresh seizure order on five vehicles belonging to the pair, according to DIICOT's announcement.
Accusers' Identities Withheld From UK Defence
The Romanian case runs parallel to separate proceedings in Britain, where accusers' names have been withheld from the brothers by Bedfordshire Police, a decision their lawyer challenged at a High Court hearing.
At the Royal Courts of Justice, barrister Sallie Bennett-Jenkins KC argued the non-disclosure decision was 'flawed' and that the brothers had 'been treated differently from other suspects or defendants'. She said the CPS had made an 'inflated assumption of risk' in assuming the pair would identify complainants on social media and cause them to withdraw from proceedings.
Mr Justice Chamberlain rejected the challenge, ruling in a judgment summary that 'the claimants have no rights under any relevant statutory regime to be told of the identities of the complainants' at this stage. He said none of the grounds raised were 'arguable', adding that a senior prosecutor had met the women and 'formed her own view about their vulnerability' before the decision was made.
🚨 BREAKING: Today, Andrew and Tristan Tate were formally notified by DIICOT that the two criminal cases against them in Romania are to be merged into one larger case.
— Gadget (@Gadget440) July 3, 2026
It is expected to be the final procedural step before prosecutors file a new indictment.
This means that… pic.twitter.com/IOi8GBrp41
UK Charges Add to Mounting Legal Pressure
The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed last year that it had authorised 21 charges against the brothers, to be pursued once Romanian proceedings conclude and the pair are extradited to Britain.
Andrew Tate faces 10 charges relating to three alleged victims, including rape, actual bodily harm, human trafficking and controlling prostitution for gain. Tristan Tate faces 11 charges relating to one alleged victim.
A CPS spokesperson said at the time that 'criminal proceedings are active, and the defendants have the right to a fair trial'. Separately, Hertfordshire Constabulary reopened an earlier rape and sexual assault case against Andrew Tate in March, after it was initially closed in 2019, saying it was 'committed to doing what is right' regardless of how long ago allegations occurred.
Both brothers deny all charges and allegations in Romania and the UK.
DIICOT describes the 'lover boy method' as a recognised grooming and coercion pattern used in trafficking cases, in which a perpetrator simulates a genuine romantic relationship to build trust before exerting financial or emotional control over a victim.
