Jean-Claude Van Damme accused of sexual relations with trafficked women

He's known for his high-flying kicks and blockbuster action films, but now Jean-Claude Van Damme is making headlines for something far from Hollywood

The 64-year-old actor is facing allegations tied to a human trafficking investigation overseas

Romanian news outlet Antenna 3 reports a criminal complaint has been filed with the country's directorate for investigating organized crime and terrorism

The complaint claims Van Damme had sexual relations with five women while knowing they were victims of a trafficking ring run by businessman Mauro Bola, who owns a modeling agency there

The incident allegedly took place in Cannes, France, where the women were reportedly gifted to Van Damme

The attorney in the case says Van Damme is accused of having relations with women who, quote

were in a state of vulnerability with the suspicion that they were exploited within the meaning of Article 182 of the criminal code

The woman who filed the complaint says she was among eight women brought to Cannes under the promise of working as models supposedly for the Cannes Film Festival But when they arrived they found themselves at a much smaller private party instead She was not among the five women reportedly sent to Van Damme by the manager who brought them

Van Damme has been tied to other controversies in recent years. In 2011, he attended the birthday party of the Chechen president, a leader accused of human rights abuses

BBC reports Van Damme declared his love for him during a speech at that event

And in 2022, he was accused of sexually assaulting a 33-year-old woman at a champagne bar in Brussels

She claimed he flirted, made sexual advances, and allegedly pushed her into a bathroom before she managed to escape

Van Dam denied the allegations, and there have been no public updates on that incident since

As far as what happens next in the Romanian investigation, it could depend on whether police can locate the five women named in the complaint

in the same region where the case was filed. Van Damme has not yet responded to these allegations

With Straight Arrow News, I'm Kennedy Felton. Download our app or visit san.com for more