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A British court ruled Wednesday that police can seize more than 2.6 million pounds ($3.3 million) to cover years of unpaid taxes from an influencer. Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan.
Devon and Cornwall Police 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 ruled that the brothers’ financial dealings, including the transfer of almost $12 million to an account in J’s name, were a “simple ruse” by the tax authorities.
A lawyer for the force said the Tates were “serial” tax evaders who paid no tax on £21m of income from their online businesses, including War Room, Hustlers’ University, Cobra Tate and OnlyFans, between 2014 and 2022.
Andrew Tate, 38, accused the government of “total theft” for freezing his accounts and confiscating “everything they could”.
“This is not justice; it’s a coordinated attack on anyone who dares to challenge the system,” Tate said in a statement. “This raises serious questions about how far the authorities will go to silence dissent.”
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At a hearing in July, barrister Sarah Clarke cited a video posted online by Andrew Tate, in which he said: “When I lived in England I refused to pay tax.”
He said J, who cannot be named due to a court order, was not involved with the brothers’ businesses.
A lawyer for the brothers, Martin Evans, argued that bank transfers were “entirely orthodox” for people running businesses online. He said the brothers spent money on several “exotic motor cars” but did nothing illegal.
The proceedings are civil, which involves a lower standard of proof than criminal cases. Goldspring had to decide on the balance of probabilities whether the Tates had evaded tax.
Court documents show an estimated total of £2,683,345.88 (about $3.4 million) in the seven accounts that police can now seize.
Andrew Tate is a former kickboxer and dual British-American citizen who has amassed over 10 million followers on X. He has been banned from TikTok, YouTube and Facebook after the platforms accused him of posting hate speech and comments misogynists
He and Tristan Tate, 36, they face criminal charges in Romaniaincluding human trafficking and the formation of a criminal gang to exploit women. They will be extradited to the UK once these proceedings are completed to face further allegations of rape and human trafficking.
The Tates deny all the allegations.
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Associated Press writers Brian Melley in London and Stephen McGrath in Warwick, England contributed to this story.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
