Andrew and Tristan Tate lose £2m court case over unpaid tax

A court has authorized the police to confiscate over £2 million from Andrew Tate, who labels himself as a misogynist influencer, along with his brother Tristan.

The police in Devon and Cornwall were trying to take control of the funds stored in seven frozen bank accounts belonging to the Tates and a woman known only as J.

On Wednesday, Paul Goldspring, the chief magistrate, delivered a ruling in favor of the police at the Westminster magistrates' court.

He remarked that what seemed like a "complicated financial structure" was, in reality, simply a "basic trick to manipulate earnings."

During a court hearing in July, a lawyer for the police claimed that the brothers had a history of repeatedly evading taxes and VAT.

Reports claim that they neglected to pay any taxes on £21 million generated from their online ventures, which include War Room, Hustlers’ University, Cobra Tate, and OnlyFans, from 2014 to 2022.

Sarah Clarke KC, who is representing the police, referenced a video shared online by Andrew Tate in which he stated, "When I was living in England, I opted not to pay taxes."

The court was informed that he mentioned his strategy was to "just dismiss them, ignore them, and they'll eventually leave."

Reports suggest that the brothers deposited nearly $12 million into an account under J's name and also set up a second account in her name, despite her having no involvement in their business activities.

Some of the funds that the police in Devon and Cornwall are seeking to confiscate include cryptocurrency linked to her account. According to the court, J received a payment of £805,000 deposited into her Revolut account.

In his written decision, the chief judge stated, "I believe it is more likely than not that they have been involved in ongoing, intentional actions to avoid paying their taxes."

The legal process is civil, meaning it requires less evidence to establish a case compared to criminal trials.

The 37-year-old ex-professional kickboxer and his 36-year-old brother remain caught up in a legal dispute with the Romanian authorities. They were both taken into custody in 2022 and officially charged in the middle of 2023, alongside two Romanian women, with serious offenses including human trafficking, rape, and creating a criminal organization aimed at sexually exploiting women.

The four individuals have rejected all the accusations made against them. Recently, a Romanian court determined that one of the cases brought by the prosecutors had many inconsistencies and instructed them to revise or retract it within five days.

Following the decision, Tate remarked that the chief magistrate's ruling "doesn't represent justice" and described it as a "deliberate assault."

He stated, "Initially, they branded me as a human trafficker, but they were unable to find even one woman to support their claims. Once that story fell apart, they resorted to blatant theft, freezing my accounts for over two years and now confiscating everything they can."

"This isn't about justice; it's a systematic effort to target anyone who questions the status quo. If you criticize the system, be prepared for them to threaten your freedom, tarnish your reputation, and jeopardize your job. This brings to light some troubling concerns about how far those in power will go to suppress opposition."

The police in Devon and Cornwall stated, "From the beginning, our goal has been to show that Andrew and Tristan Tate avoided paying taxes and moved illicit funds through bank accounts based in Devon."

The inquiry centers on significant profits made between 2014 and 2022, a period during which we suspect that no taxes or VAT were paid on that money. Additionally, it is claimed that both individuals hid the sources of their income by routing funds through 'dummy' accounts, which amounts to illegal behavior and implies that those earnings are derived from criminal activities.

The organization stated that it would hold off on making any additional statements until the 28-day appeal period is over.

Tate continues to have over 10 million followers on X, where he advocates for a highly masculine way of life that many critics argue is disrespectful to women.