Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan have been accused of failing to pay tax on £21 million of revenue from their online businesses, including Onlyfans.
Devon and Cornwall Police are bringing a civil claim against the brothers – and a third person referred to only as J – over unpaid tax, Westminster magistrates’ court heard on Monday.
The force is seeking around £2.8 million in seven frozen bank accounts.
Sarah Clarke KC for Devon and Cornwall Police said: “Andrew Tate and Tristan Tate are serial tax and VAT evaders.
“They, in particular Andrew Tate, are brazen about it.”
Andrew Tate (R) and his brother, Tristan, laugh as they leave the Bucharest Tribunal in Romania
Credit: VADIM GHIRDA/AP
It is claimed that they paid no tax in any country on £21 million revenue from businesses online earned between 2014 and 2022.
Ms Clarke quoted from a video posted online by Andrew Tate, in which he said: “When I lived in England I refused to pay tax.”
The court heard he said his approach was “ignore, ignore, ignore because in the end they go away” and that the brothers had “a huge number of bank accounts” in the UK, seven of which have been frozen.
Ms Clarke said that money “washed around UK bank accounts” that were used “as a mechanism for moving revenues from their business activities through a wide number of accounts”.
“That’s what tax evasion looks like, that’s what money laundering looks like,” she told the court.
The money came from products they sold online, as well as their OnlyFans sites, the court was told – with the Tates also being accused of failing to pay tax and money laundering in both the UK and Romania.
The brothers have been detained in Romania, over UK sex offence charges
Credit: DANIEL MIHAILESCU/AFP
It is claimed that the brothers paid just under 12 million US dollars into an account in J’s name and opened a second account in her name, even though she had no role in their businesses.
Devon and Cornwall Police allege that this was fraud by false misrepresentation.
The proceedings are civil, which uses a lower standard of proof than criminal cases.
Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring will decide on the balance of probabilities whether what the police claim is true.
J also moved money through her own account – including one payment of £805,000 that was made to her Revolut account, the court heard.
Of this, £495,000 was paid to Andrew Tate and £75,000 to an account in J’s name that was later converted to cryptocurrency, it is alleged.
The case was adjourned until Tuesday.
Andrew Tate has been contacted for comment.
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