The Westminster Magistrates’ Court has ruled that police can seize over two million pounds from influencer and businessman Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan after they failed to pay taxes on 21 million pounds in income from their online businesses.
Devon and Cornwall Police requested permission to confiscate funds held in seven frozen bank accounts belonging to the Tate brothers and a woman identified as J.
The chief judge stated that what appears to be a “complex financial matrix” is, in fact, “a straightforward income fraud.” Andrew Tate claimed the ruling was unfair and described it as a “coordinated attack.”
Earlier, the court was told that the brothers deposited just under 12 million dollars into an account registered in J’s name. They also opened another account under her name, despite her not having a role in their online businesses, which include War Room, Hustlers’ University, Cobra Tate, and OnlyFans. Part of the funds under her name is in cryptocurrency.
Lawyers for Devon and Cornwall Police told the court that Andrew Tate had publicly declared he did not pay taxes in the United Kingdom (UK), stating his approach was to “ignore, ignore, ignore because eventually, they will go away.”
Ruling in favor of the police, Judge Paul Goldspring said the brothers had not provided evidence of tax payments to the court but instead insisted through their lawyers that the cash transfers were legitimate business activities.
Police are now authorized to seize a total of 2.683.345 pounds, including cryptocurrency.
The loss of this sum is the latest legal setback for the Tate brothers. In June last year, Romanian prosecutors charged Andrew Tate with rape, human trafficking, and forming an organized crime group. Tristan Tate faces charges of human trafficking, with Romanian authorities alleging their case involves seven victims who were recruited through false promises of love and marriage.
Bedfordshire Police are seeking their extradition to the UK on charges of rape and human trafficking. A judge in Bucharest stated that the extradition request would be addressed after the case in Romania concludes.
