UK Courts Rules Government Can Seize $3.3M From Andrew Tate After Livestream Brag About Unpaid Taxes

A British court ruled Wednesday that more than $3 million of influencer Andrew Tate’s funds can be seized to settle long-standing tax arrears, closing a case in which prosecutors cited a livestream appearance in which he bragged about refusing to pay taxes when living in the UK.

Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring of Westminster Magistrates’ Court deemed the transfers executed by Andrew Tate and his brother, Tristan Tate, a “straightforward cheat” designed to sidestep years of unpaid taxes. Seven bank accounts containing funds that authorities say are tied to their online ventures will now be taken by police to cover back taxes the pair allegedly dodged.

A lawyer representing the police portrayed the Tates as “serial” offenders who failed to pay any taxes on £21 million pounds in revenue—roughly $26 million—collected from a cluster of online ventures, including War Room, Hustlers’ University, Cobra Tate, and OnlyFans, between 2014 and 2022. The assets will help recoup an estimated $3.4 million now locked under the court’s order.

Tate lashed out at the verdict, calling it “outright theft.”

He added in a statement: “This is not justice; it’s a coordinated attack on anyone who dares to challenge the system… This raises serious questions about the lengths authorities will go to silence dissent.”

One key piece of evidence presented at a previous hearing came from a video posted online, in which he stated: “When I lived in England I refused to pay tax.”

The Tates’ lawyer, Martin Evans, countered that their business arrangements were “entirely orthodox” and no different from legitimate entrepreneurs who invest profits into “exotic motor cars” or other luxury assets.