Romania On 11 April 2022 the
US embassy received a report that an American citizen was being held against her will in a property the brothers own in
Pipera, Romania. Romanian police raided the home and a nearby
webcam studio belonging to the Tates, where they discovered four women. Two of them, the American and another Romanian woman, told the police they were being held against their will, sparking an In rem jurisdiction| investigation into
human trafficking and rape by the
Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT). The brothers were interrogated and released. At the time, they were heard as witnesses rather than suspects.
Arrests, investigations and asset seizures On 29 December 2022 the police arrested the brothers and two women. All four are suspected of human trafficking and forming an
organised crime group, and one of them (unidentified, per Romanian law) is suspected of rape. DIICOT accuses the Tates of having recruited women through the
"loverboy" method—which consists of misrepresenting one's intention to commit to a romantic relationship—and forcing them to create explicit content for websites like
OnlyFans as part of an organised crime group the Tates are alleged to have formed in early 2021. DIICOT identified six potential victims. Social media rumours attributed Andrew's arrest to pizza boxes from the Romanian restaurant chain Jerry's Pizza shown in a video addressed to
Greta Thunberg replying to a
tweet she had made at his expense. These rumours were denied by Romanian authorities; a spokesman for DIICOT described the rumours as "funny" but untrue. In April 2023, the brothers filed criminal complaints in Romania against two witnesses in the case. The witnesses' lawyer characterised this as intimidation, and the lawyer noted that the witnesses had received death threats. On 7 January one of the Tates' lawyers said the defence team had still not obtained a copy of the evidence the prosecution presented to the judge. The lawyer also stated that the court had not provided the Tates with an accurate translation during their 30-day extension hearing. He requested the opportunity to confront the accusers in court and said that some of the six alleged victims DIICOT identified had not filed a complaint against the Tates. Two women who have lived with the Tates have publicly defended them, and two of the six alleged victims DIICOT identified have denied that they were victimised. Romanian authorities seized 29 assets, including 15 cars, more than 10 properties, watches, and sums of money, that belonged to the Tates or their companies, totaling almost US$4 million. If the Tates are convicted, these assets will be
forfeited to the state and used to pay civil and moral
damages to any victims. On 14 January 2023, the cars at the Tates' home were transported to a storage location. On 11 December, a Romanian court rejected a request to return assets seized during the investigation. On 8 January 2024, the
Bucharest Court of Appeal overturned this decision on appeal and ordered a new trial over the seized assets. On 21 August 2024 Romanian police expanded their investigation against Andrew to include
trafficking minors,
sex with a minor,
money laundering, and
attempting to influence witnesses. DIICOT raided four homes belonging to Tate in
Ilfov County and Bucharest in connection with new accusations and the criminal case of setting up an organised criminal group. The next day, Andrew and Tristan, whose property was also raided, were among six people taken into custody for allegations related to the raids. Prosecutors said the new investigation involves 35 alleged victims, including a woman who was a minor at the time. The accused are alleged to have made a total of $2.8 million via "sexual exploitation." One additional victim was identified, bringing the total to seven. On 20 June, the four accused were indicted on charges of rape, human trafficking, and forming an organised crime group to sexually exploit women. They continue to deny all charges and remain under investigation for money laundering and trafficking of minors. Andrew's attorney argues that Andrew was playing an
online character,
Sky News reported that the allegations include committing "human trafficking in Romania and other countries," including the United States and the United Kingdom. In January 2024 the case was heard in the preliminary chamber before a trial date was set. The Bucharest Tribunal decided that the case against Andrew "met the legal criteria." The defendants have appealed the ruling and have engaged in a legal strategy of delaying and drawing out the case. In November the Bucharest court ruled to remove certain pieces of evidence from the trial, including statements from the brothers and witness testimonies.
Pre-trial detention and restrictions After an initial 24-hour
pre-trial detention following the arrests on 29 December 2022, the judge prolonged their detention by 30 days. Under Romanian law, it can be prolonged for a maximum of 180 days. On 20 January, a Romanian court extended the brothers' pre-trial detention to 27 February; the court's reasoning was based on a desire to safeguard the investigation and prevent the Tates from leaving the country. On 25 January, while being taken for questioning at Romania's organised crime unit, Andrew said the case against him was "empty" and told reporters that "they know we have done nothing wrong." , located in
The Palace of Justice (pictured). The court has overturned tribunal decisions and rejected other appeals. That same day, Tina Glandian, a lawyer who previously represented
Chris Brown and
Mike Tyson, was added to the defence team. She released a public statement alleging that the situation constituted a "violation of international human rights." On 21 February a Romanian judicial institution prolonged the brothers' detention for 30 more days. Prosecutors allege
wiretaps of phone calls made by Andrew to two associates, instructing them to lobby two Romanian right-wing politicians,
George Simion and
Diana Iovanovici Șoșoacă, to support his release. On 14 March their petition for bail was refused for the third time. On 29 March their detention period was lengthened until the end of April. On 31 March the Bucharest Court of Appeal overturned the previous court's decision, transitioning the brothers' pre-trial detention to
house arrest, initially set until 29 April and later extended to the end of August. In total, the four suspects, including the brothers, were held in police custody from 29 December 2022 until 31 March 2023. On 28 September the travel restriction was relaxed after an appeal, allowing Andrew to travel within Romania. The decision was overturned on appeal, but restrictions were again relaxed by a judge on 28 November. On 30 January 2024 the Bucharest Court of Appeal rejected Tate's appeal to relax judicial control measures after pre-trial restrictions imposed on 18 January were extended another 60 days. The restrictions determine that he cannot leave the country. On 10 May the Bucharest Tribunal extended the same travel restrictions another 60 days, and on 20 May Andrew lost his appeal in the Bucharest Court of Appeal to have the restrictions relaxed. On 5 July a Bucharest court announced that the brothers were no longer restricted to travel only within Romania. The travel restriction was lifted, allowing the brothers to travel freely within the EU. The Bucharest Court of Appeal reversed that ruling on 16 July. On 21 August the brothers were held for questioning as part of a new investigation against them. A hearing was held at which a Romanian judge placed Andrew under house arrest for at least 30 days amid new allegations of human trafficking and sexual intercourse with a minor. On 27 February 2025 various news outlets reported that the Tates had left Romania for the United States via private jet, with Romanian sources reporting that they were headed for Florida. This came after voices in the
Trump administration, including
Ric Grenell, the Special Presidential Envoy for Special Missions of the United States, supported the Tates. DIICOT later issued a statement, making clear the Tates still face their case in Romania but had been granted their request to be able to leave the country. They will be expected to return to Romania at a later date in order to satisfy the terms of their "under judicial control," which has not ended.
Other When driving in Romania in June 2025, Andrew Tate was given a £310 ticket and had his license suspended after speeding at in a zone.
United Kingdom Andrew was first arrested in July 2015 after two women filed complaints accusing him of rape and assault in 2014. He was again arrested on suspicion of rape in December 2015 after an accuser presented messages from Andrew in which he wrote, "I love raping you." In response to the allegations, a spokesperson for Andrew said, "Andrew vehemently denies any involvement in criminal activities such as rape or physical abuse."
Vice later reported that he was removed because the show's producers became aware of the investigation by
Hertfordshire Constabulary into him for rape. In 2019, after a four-year investigation, the
Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) declined to file charges for any of the allegations of
sexual violence and
physical abuse, stating that the evidence "did not meet our legal test." The three women said the case was mishandled, with the police apologising for delays in the investigation; according to Tate, the police "found [exculpatory] messages from the girls' phones." In March 2024
Westminster Magistrates' Court issued an arrest warrant against both brothers and requested their
extradition. According to the Tates' representative, the charges are based on allegations of sexual aggression from 2012 to 2015.
Bedfordshire Police said the warrant was "part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of rape and human trafficking" alongside Romanian authorities. The operation against the brothers was called Operation Moonwalk. Romanian police detained the two on 11 March after the prosecutor of the
Bucharest Court of Appeal ordered them to be detained for a day until the court decided on the execution of the warrant. On 12 March the Romanian court ruled that the brothers can be extradited to the UK only after the Romanian trial for human trafficking concludes. The brothers "categorically reject all charges." According to the lawyer representing the accusers, Matthew Jury, they received information that Andrew had told
Adin Ross he planned to flee Romania, and requested British police have him detained. Jury also called on
Piers Morgan and
Tucker Carlson to no longer give Andrew a platform or otherwise to "properly interrogate him on the allegations," describing the spread of disinformation over the allegations in the UK and elsewhere as damaging. In May 2025 the
Crown Prosecution Service brought 21 charges against the Tates, including
rape,
actual bodily harm and
human trafficking. Holborn Adams, the law firm representing the brothers, confirmed they would be returning to the UK to face the charges after Romanian legal proceedings. In March 2026 the Hertfordshire Constabulary, whose investigations in 2015 lead to Andrew Tate's first arrest, announced that they would be reinvestigating the reports of rape and sexual assault made in 2014 and 2015. This announcement was made a day after the
Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), an independent police watchdog organization, announced that they would be investigating members of the constabulary for alleged misconduct and "failures to investigate properly" the criminal reports filed against Andrew.
United States In March 2025
James Uthmeier,
Florida Attorney General, initiated a criminal investigation into the Tate brothers following their arrival in Florida—a visit made possible by their travel bans being lifted, reportedly due to pressure placed from the
Trump administration. The
governor of Florida,
Ron DeSantis, has expressed discontent with their unexpected appearance, declaring that they are unwelcome. The brothers are allegedly under a federal criminal investigation in the US. == Civil cases ==