• Romanian prosecutors upgrade human trafficking charges against influencer Andrew Tate and brother Tristan
• The suspects are under investigation for alleged human trafficking, rape, and forming a criminal gang that exploited women
• Prosecutors said that the defendants are now being investigated for human trafficking in continued form

Romanian prosecutors in charge of Andrew Tate's human trafficking case announced they are upgrading the charges against the influencer and his brother Tristan.

The Tate brothers are under house arrest pending a criminal investigation for alleged human trafficking, rape, and creating a criminal gang that they used to exploit women sexually. The defendants have continued to deny the allegations against them and claim they are innocent.

Tate Brothers' Human Trafficking Case

Under the country's laws, prosecutors filed charges against the defendants and two other suspects. However, the case is still being investigated and has not yet been trialed. Prosecutors now said that the Tate brothers are under investigation for human trafficking in continued form, a more severe crime than separate counts of trafficking, as per Reuters.

Romanian authorities have kept the four suspects in police custody from Dec. 29, 2022, to Mar. 31, 2023, when a Bucharest court ordered them to be placed under house arrest. On Tuesday, the country's DIICOT anti-organized crime prosecuting unit notified the two defendants that the human trafficking charge against them was being upgraded into a more serious form.

Under the country's laws, the charge of trafficking adults carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years. A spokesperson for DIICOT said that one more victim was added to the case, which initially involved six women.

The legal team of the Tate brothers said that the changes announced on Tuesday were in the suspects' "legal interests." They added that the legal framework was revised and altered to uphold an impartial investigation.

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Upgraded Human Trafficking Charges

Prosecutors argued that a man close to the Tate brothers, Vlad Obuzic, whose social media platforms featured images of him alongside the siblings, and two other suspects were responsible for recruiting the group's alleged victims. According to The Guardian, They seduced the women and falsely claimed that they wanted to enter a romantic relationship or marriage.

Authorities then said the victims were allegedly coerced to produce pornographic content for various social media sites. The suspects reportedly got most of the profits despite being forced into the acts.

In a statement, prosecutors said that to ensure the victims' loyalty and that they would continue to perform only to the benefit of the suspects, they were forced to tattoo the name or face of the group member exploiting them.

The 36-year-old influencer has 6.8 million followers on Twitter and is a British-U.S. citizen and former kickboxing champion. He told his fans on Tuesday that prosecutors restructured the human trafficking charges against him in a way that benefited him massively because they had no evidence against him.

A British woman came forward last week and said that in 2014, Andrew choked her without consent during consensual sex. She argued that the suspect did so to the point where she lost consciousness and added that he later threatened to take her life, said The Daily Beast.

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