Revealed: Andrew Tate's brother accused of coercing 30 women into online sex work

Tristan Tate is far less well known than his notorious elder sibling, but new evidence suggests he holds a central role in their alleged criminality

- Alexi Mostrous

For Jane*, a 20-year-old aspiring musician from Florida, the stranger's attention was compelling.

After several abusive relationships, she'd joined SeekingArrangement, a website dedicated to pairing young women with wealthy, older men.

"I like your American accent," the stranger messaged her. "I think you're the most interesting person I've met in a long time."

His profile name was Vladimir. But in fact, the stranger was Tristan Tate, the lesser-known younger brother of the controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate. Unlike Andrew, whose online content is filled with aggressive messages towards women, Tristan was initially charming.

"You may say it's crazy," he wrote. "But it sounds like you're exactly what I'm looking for." Jane didn't know it then, but these syrupy messages were the first stage in an alleged criminal scheme to gain her trust.

Six months later, she and another woman would be rescued by police from the Tates' Romanian compound as suspected victims of human trafficking.

According to unreleased legal documents obtained by the Observer, Jane was not an isolated case. Romanian prosecutors allege that the younger Tate used the same "lover-boy" method to entrap no fewer than 30 other women.

The technique is used by criminals to manipulate vulnerable people into romantic relationships before exploiting them in the sex industry or for other illegal activities.

Tristan - even more than his infamous brother - is accused of using the tactic to target young, at-risk or grieving women before pressuring them into making sexually explicit content for websites such as OnlyFans.

Prosecutors say the 36-year-old threatened some of the women with violence, kept much of their income for himself, and prevented some from leaving the Romanian complex that has been the Tate brothers' base since 2017. One of the alleged victims is a refugee from Ukraine.

Tristan Tate denies all wrongdoing.