Romanian prosecutors are ramping up human trafficking charges against social media influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan.
The Tate brothers and two Romanian female suspects are under house arrest as they are investigated for suspected human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women - accusations they have denied.
Prosecutors said on Tuesday that the four suspects are now being investigated for human trafficking in continued form, which they say is a more serious crime than the separate counts of trafficking they previously faced.
The case remains under investigation and has not yet gone to trial. Prosecutors are expected to commit the four suspects for trial later in June.
The four were held in police custody from December 29 until March 31, when a Bucharest court placed them under house arrest.
On Tuesday, Romania’s anti-organised crime prosecuting unit DIICOT notified the Tate brothers that the human trafficking charge had changed to trafficking in continued form, a DIICOT spokesperson said.
Under Romanian law, trafficking of adults carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
One more victim was added to the case, which started out with six women, the spokesperson said.
The Tate brothers’ legal team said Tuesday’s changes were in the suspects’ “legal interest”.
“The legal framework has been revised and altered to ensure an impartial investigation is upheld,” they said in a statement.
Also on Tuesday, DIICOT prosecutors said they had opened a separate criminal investigation against a Romanian man close to the Tate brothers, named Vlad Obuzic, on allegations of human trafficking and forming a criminal crime group to sexually exploit seven women.
Prosecutors have said Obuzic - whose social media platforms show pictures of him with the Tate brothers - and two other suspects recruited their alleged victims by seducing them and falsely claiming to want a relationship or marriage.
The victims were then coerced to produce pornographic content for social media sites, with the suspects keeping most of the gains, it is alleged.
“To ensure the victims’ loyalty and that they will perform only to the benefit of the members of the group, they were forced to tattoo the name or face of the group member exploiting them,” prosecutors said in a statement.
