Police to Seize £2.7 Million From Andrew and Tristan Tate Over Unpaid Tax Claims

Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan (left) walk outside the Court of Appeals building, after a hearing, in Bucharest, Romania, on Sept. 4, 2024. Vadim Ghirda/AP Photo

A judge has ruled that Devon and Cornwall Police can seize nearly £2.7 million from frozen bank accounts belonging to influencer Andrew Tate and his brother over alleged failure to pay taxes on £21 million in earnings from their online businesses.

The police force had made a bid to seize the assets from seven bank accounts belonging to Emory Andrew Tate, 37, Tristan Tate, 36, and a woman identified only as J, totalling £2,683,345.88, according to court documents.

Senior District Judge Paul Goldspring said in his judgment handed down on Wednesday at Westminster Magistrates’ Court that he was satisfied that the brothers had engaged in “long-standing, deliberate conduct in order to evade their tax.”

The chief magistrate continued: “The money generated by the various business were online transactions which attracted VAT in the UK and / or corporation tax to the companies and / or income tax by the respondents, and they had not so much as registered to pay or account for tax, whether personal or otherwise, let alone paid any tax.

“That, I am satisfied, was precisely the intention of [the Tate brothers] and is unequivocally founded on the evidence before me.”

The proceedings are civil, meaning there is a lower threshold for proof than criminal cases.

Laundered Money

Police had said that the Tates, who are both former kickboxers and dual U.S.–British nationals, had failed to pay tax on revenue from their online businesses including Cobra Tate, Hustlers University, and OnlyFans between 2014 and 2022.

Following the ruling, a spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police 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.”

He added, “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.”

The spokesman added that the force would not comment further, until the 28-day appeal process had come to an end.

Andrew Tate and Tristan Tate had allegedly paid around $12 million into an account in the name of J and opened a second account in her name, even though she had no role in their enterprises.

Part of the money that the police force had wanted to seize was cryptocurrency held in an account in her name.

According to court documents detailing the seized assets, J had a Barclays account continuing £1,460,922.48 and a Gemini crypto account worth £69,982.32. Andrew Tate had two Metro accounts containing a combined £57,694.13, a Barclays account holding £126,272.13, and a Global Currency Exchange Network account containing £310,362.93. Tristan Tate’s Barclays account held £658,111.89.

Martin Evans, KC, acting in the Tates’ defence, earlier said the bank transfers made by the brothers were “entirely orthodox” for people running online businesses.

Evans added if the brothers had wanted to distance themselves from the money, they did “a singularly bad job” because they moved it into accounts in their own names.

‘Co-ordinated Attack’

Andrew Tate rose to fame after appearing in “Big Brother” in 2016. He has also garnered wider attention for his online activities, including subscription programme Hustlers University, billed as an “exclusive community with over 100000 students learning how to make money online.”

The former kickboxer also has gained a considerable following on social media, where he comments on social issues. He has been banned on several platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok, but has a strong presence on social media platform X, where he has almost 10 million followers.

Andrew Tate (center) and his brother Tristan (left) walk outside the Court of Appeals building, after a hearing, in Bucharest, Romania, on Sept. 4, 2024. Vadim Ghirda/AP Photo

Andrew Tate said the ruling was “not justice,” calling it a “co-ordinated attack.”

The 37-year-old online influencer said following the ruling: “First, they labelled me a human trafficker, yet they couldn’t find a single woman to stand against me.

“When that narrative crumbled, they turned to outright theft — freezing my accounts for more than two years and now seizing everything they could.

“This is not justice; it’s a co-ordinated attack on anyone who dares to challenge the system.”

He continued: “Speak against the Matrix, and they’ll come for your freedom, your reputation, and your livelihood. This raises serious questions about the lengths authorities will go to silence dissent.”

Allegations

The Tates are facing other legal challenges.

In one case brought by Romanian authorities, they are accused of human trafficking and forming a criminal gang to exploit women. Andrew Tate is also accused of rape.

Another set of human trafficking charges in Romania saw a fleet of luxury cars towed away from their home in the capital, Bucharest.

The brothers are also set to be extradited to the UK once proceedings are concluded in Romania. Bedfordshire Police had secured an arrest warrant for the men relating to allegations of rape and human trafficking dating to between 2012 and 2015.

The brothers have denied all allegations.

PA Media contributed to this report.