The brothers and two Romanian female associates were arrested last month. In addition to human trafficking, the suspects were charged with forming an organized crime group. One was also charged with rape, though authorities have declined to identify that person, citing local laws.
The Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism, or DIICOT, said in a statement Dec. 29 that they identified six people who were recruited and then sexually abused in Ilfov county, which includes the capital, Bucharest.
Authorities said that the victims were coerced into participating in pornography for distribution on social media and that one of the suspects twice raped a victim in March. The statement, which did not name the suspects, said the victims faced “acts of physical violence and mental coercion.”
The Tates were legally in the country, DIICOT spokesperson Ramona Bolla said in an interview on Dec. 30, noting that the investigation started in April after the U.S. Embassy called the Romanian authorities with information that a U.S. citizen was being held involuntarily at a house in Ilfov.
Police said the four suspects organized a group in early 2021, conspiring to commit human trafficking, not just in Romania but also in the United States and Britain. Conviction in Romania on charges of human trafficking can carry penalties of between three and 10 years. For rape, penalties can range between five and 10 years.
Police earlier reported a search of two properties in April in Ilfov county, in which they said they seized assets related to the case. The Tates’ detention came after police executed five home search warrants, police said. The alleged American victim is no longer in the country, Bolla said. The other five alleged victims were Romanian and Moldovan.
Sorcher reported from London, Morris from Erkelenz, Germany. Timothy Bella and Kelsey Ables contributed to this report.
