London: A British court ruled on Wednesday that police can confiscate over 2 million pounds ($2.5 million) from influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan to cover unpaid taxes.
The Devon and Cornwall Police force went to court to claim the money, held in seven frozen bank accounts, from the Tates and a woman identified only as J.
At Westminster Magistrates’ Court, Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring determined that the financial transactions conducted by the brothers, which included transferring nearly $12 million into an account under the name of J, amounted to a “straightforward cheat” against the tax authorities.
A lawyer representing the force stated that the Tates were “serial” tax evaders, failing to pay taxes on £21 million in revenue from their online businesses, including War Room, Hustlers’ University, Cobra Tate, and OnlyFans, between 2014 and 2022.
At a hearing in July, attorney Sarah Clarke quoted from a video posted online by Andrew Tate, in which he said: “When I lived in England I refused to pay tax.”
She said J — who can’t be named because of a court order — wasn’t involved with the brothers’ businesses.
A lawyer for the brothers, Martin Evans, argued that the bank transfers were “entirely orthodox” for people who run online businesses. He said the siblings spent money on a number of “exotic motor cars,” but did nothing illegal.
The proceedings are civil, which carries a lower standard of proof than criminal cases. Goldspring had to decide on the balance of probabilities whether the Tates had evaded tax.
Andrew Tate, 37, is a former kickboxer and dual British-U.S. citizen who has amassed more than 10 million followers on X. He has been banned from TikTok, YouTube and Facebook after the platforms accused him of posting hate speech and misogynistic comments.
He and Tristan Tate, 36, face criminal allegations in Romania, including human trafficking and forming a criminal gang to exploit women. They are set to be extradited to the U.K. once those proceedings are over to face further allegations of rape and human trafficking.
The Tates deny all the allegations.
(with agency inputs)
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