Andrew Tate and brother Tristan lose £2.8m court case over unpaid tax claims
Controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan must forfeit more than £2m after a judge ruled they failed to pay any tax on £21m in revenue from online businesses, including OnlyFans.
Devon and Cornwall Police brought the civil case to seize £2.8m held in seven frozen bank accounts from the Tate brothers and a woman who can only be referred to as “J” for legal reasons.
Chief magistrate Paul Goldspring ruled in favour of the force in a judgment handed down at Westminster Magistrates’ Court today.
He said what appeared to be a “complex financial matrix” was actually a “straightforward cheat of the revenue”.
In a statement after the ruling, Andrew Tate said: “This is not justice; it’s a coordinated attack on anyone who dares to challenge the system.”
Andrew Tate at the Court of Appeals building in Bucharest, Romania, in September. Pic: AP
At an earlier hearing in July, Sarah Clarke KC, representing the force, described the Tate brothers, who are former kickboxers, as “serial tax and VAT evaders”.
They were said to have failed to pay a penny in tax on £21m of revenue from their online earnings, including from War Room, Hustlers’ University, Cobra Tate and OnlyFans, between 2014 and 2022.
The court heard 38-year-old Andrew Tate‘s approach was “ignore, ignore, ignore because in the end, they go away” and he said in a video posted online: “When I lived in England I refused to pay tax.”
Police said the brothers paid just under $12m (around £9.5m) into an account in J’s name and opened a second account in her name, even though she had no role in their businesses.
She received a payment of £805,000 into her Revolut account, the court heard, with £495,000 of that money paid to Andrew Tate, and £75,000 sent to an account in J’s name that was later converted to cryptocurrency, the court also heard.
The Tate brothers. File pic: AP
Martin Evans KC, representing the Tates, previously said the bank transfers made by the brothers were “entirely orthodox” for people who run online businesses and they did “a singularly bad job” if they had wanted to distance themselves from the money.
They spent money on a number of “exotic motor cars” but nothing illegal, Mr Evans said.
But the judge found the “brothers’ entire financial arrangements are consistent with concerted tax evasion and money laundering” in a written ruling.
“I am satisfied on the balance of probabilities that they have engaged in long-standing, deliberate conduct in order to evade their tax/VAT liabilities in both Romania and the UK,” he said.
He found the frozen accounts were used to “launder the undeclared revenues” from the Tates’ businesses, as well as “for the purchase of properties, high value items and to fund their extravagant lifestyle”.
A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesperson said: “From the outset we have aimed to demonstrate that Andrew and Tristan Tate evaded taxes and laundered money through bank accounts located in Devon.
“The investigation focuses on substantial earnings accrued between 2014 and 2022, during which we believe no tax or VAT was paid on those funds.
“Furthermore, both individuals are alleged to have concealed the origins of their income by channelling money through ‘front’ accounts, constituting criminal activity and rendering those earnings proceeds of crime.”
Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan at the Court of Appeals in Bucharest. Pic: AP
The brothers are facing a series of separate criminal allegations – including human trafficking and forming a criminal gang to exploit women – in a case in Romania, while Andrew Tate is also accused of rape.
A fleet of luxury cars was towed away from their home in the capital, Bucharest, earlier this year following more human trafficking charges. They deny all of the charges against them.
Explained:
The allegations against the Tate brothers
Who is Andrew Tate?
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Luxury cars seized from Tate
The Tates are currently barred from leaving Romania but are set to be extradited to the UK once those proceedings are concluded to face further allegations of rape and human trafficking dating back to 2012 to 2015, which they also deny.
Andrew Tate has been banned from TikTok, YouTube and Facebook after the platforms accused him of posting hate speech and misogynistic comments, including that women should bear responsibility for being sexually assaulted.
But he remains popular on X, with almost 10 million followers – many of them young men and schoolchildren.
In July, senior police officers in the UK warned that influencers like Andrew Tate could radicalise social media followers into extreme misogyny in the same way that terrorists draw in their followers.
A 31-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after an elderly couple died following a fire at their home in St Helens.
Peter Eric Greener, 77, known as Eric, and his partner Sheila Jackson, 83, were caught in the blaze at their home on South John Street in the early hours of Tuesday.
Mr Greener died on Wednesday, while Ms Jackson died on Thursday.
Eric Greener. Pic: Merseyside Police
Sheila Jackson. Pic: Merseyside Police
Merseyside Police said an accelerant was used to start the fire.
On Sunday, the force said the suspect from St Helens had been arrested on suspicion of murder and remains in custody for questioning.
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Detective Superintendent Rachel Wilson said: “Although an arrest has been made, I would like to take this opportunity to remind people to pass on information directly to police or anonymously via Crimestoppers, and not to comment or post in any way which jeopardises this ongoing work.”
DS Wilson said “extensive enquiries” continue.
She added: “And to that end we are still appealing for anyone with information to come forward, particularly if you live in the area of South John Street and recall seeing or hearing anything suspicious at around the time of the incident.
“Please do not assume what you know has already been reported to us, as we can quickly make that assessment.”
UK
How e-bike riders are doing double the speed limit – and many of them work for fast food delivery firms
It’s lunchtime on Birmingham’s New Street.
Close to its many restaurants, food delivery riders are congregating on their bikes.
The area is packed with shoppers and workers.
PC Paige Gartlan is approaching with other officers. She’s on the lookout for illegally modified e-bikes – and she knows she’ll find them here.
“You can physically tell by looking at the bike that it’s generally going to be illegal – the battery pack is taped on to the sides and generally the size of the motor that’s on the back wheel,” she explains.
Sky News has been invited on an operation by West Midlands Police to find these bikes and get them off the streets.
PC Gartlan has been hit by one before. She’s had to tackle a rider to the floor after he drove into her.
Within minutes, she’s spotted a suspicious-looking bike. The rider makes a run for it – followed by plain-clothed officers.
PC Gartlan tests the bike – it’s showing a top speed of 52km/hr on the speedometer – just over 30mph.
PC Paige Gartlan with a seized e-bike
The speed limit for e-bikes in the UK is 15.5mph when using electric power for assistance.
I look up the street and another two riders have been detained. In less than an hour, officers have confiscated four bikes – all were being ridden by fast food delivery drivers.
The commotion is attracting a lot of attention.
“They are dangerous,” Sandra, who has just finished work, tells me.
Demoz had his bike taken by police
She’s stood watching the riders being questioned. She says she’s had near-misses herself and is worried for the safety of the elderly and children.
It’s not just West Midlands police officers here – immigration officials are carrying out checks too. They’re involved in a nationwide operation, which has seen more than 7,000 arrests in the last year – a 50% increase on last year.
Matthew Foster, the immigration enforcement lead officer for the West Midlands, tells me they’ve already found one individual who has entered the UK unlawfully.
“He’s been detained,” he says, “to affect his removal from the UK.”
Further down the street, police are loading illegally modified bikes on to a van – they’re destined to be crushed. One of them had belonged to Demoz.
Read more:
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An e-bike seized by West Midlands Police
He’s on his way home, carrying a big box with the logo of one of the main fast food delivery firms on it.
He tells me he used to have an illegal bike, but he thought his new one was legal.
“I make a mistake, I have to say sorry, I will do better for the future,” he says.
I get in touch with the big delivery firms; Deliveroo, Uber Eats, and Just Eat.
Their representatives say they constantly remind workers of their safety obligations, and that they’re all working closely with the government to increase security checks on riders.
As he leaves, Demoz, now bike-free, tells me he’s thinking of changing his job.
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