Action star Jean-Claude Van Damme has been named in a criminal complaint filed with Romania’s Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT).
According to CNN affiliate Antena 3, the 64-year-old 90s movie star star is accused of knowingly engaging in intimate relations with women who were allegedly trafficked by a criminal group led by Morel Bolea.
The complaint alleges that the incident took place in Cannes, France, where Van Damme reportedly received five Romanian women as a “gift” while being aware they were targets of trafficking.
Attorney Adrian Cuculis, representing one of the women, told reporters, “Several Romanians who are currently being investigated for forming a criminal group and p*mping, allegedly offered Jean-Claude Van Damme five Romanian women — photo models in Romania — for him to have s*xual relations with. The person who received those benefits knew their condition.”
Cuculis further explained that the women “were in a state of vulnerability, with the suspicion that they were exploited within the meaning of Article 182 of the Criminal Code.”
The investigation was reportedly prompted after one woman who witnessed the event at a gathering organized by Van Damme in Cannes came forward to prosecutors with her account.
This case is reportedly part of a larger trafficking investigation that Romanian authorities have been conducting since 2020. For the case to proceed, the High Court of Cassation in France must authorize criminal proceedings, after which suspects identified in the case would be summoned to Romania to provide statements.
Van Damme, who rose to fame in 1988 and went on to star in numerous action films including “Kickboxer,” “Double Impact,” and “The Expendables 2,” has not publicly responded to the allegations. His representatives did not immediately reply to requests for comment. People was the first to report.
This investigation comes amid separate headlines involving the action star, who recently claimed on social media that he was not the performer in Volvo’s famous 2013 commercial that showed him doing splits between two reversing trucks. “I can’t do the splits since many years ago,” Van Damme stated in a post, attributing the stunt to performer Alain Moussi. Some have questioned the timing and authenticity of these claims, with speculation that his social media accounts may have been compromised.
The Belgian actor most recently appeared as a voice actor in 2022’s “Minions: Rise of Gru” and is slated to appear in “The Gardener” in 2025.
