What allegations are Andrew and Tristan Tate facing?
Andrew and Tristan Tate are barred from leaving Romania pending a criminal investigation there - and another linked to Bedfordshire Police. They have also been served with High Court proceedings by four British women who claim they raped and assaulted them. They deny all the charges.
Wednesday 18 December 2024 13:54, UK
Andrew and Tristan Tate failed to pay tax on 拢21m in OnlyFans and other revenue, a judge has ruled.
The brothers and another person only referred to as 'J' were accused of fraudulently "washing money around UK bank accounts" to dodge tax payments between 2014 and 2022.
Chief magistrate Paul Goldspring handed down his judgment in a civil case at Westminster Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
It was brought by Devon and Cornwall Police, which was trying to seize £2.8m from the social media influencers.
The Tates, 38 and 36 respectively, are currently barred from leaving Romania pending an investigation there - and another linked to Bedfordshire Police in the UK.
In May, they were also served with High Court proceedings brought by four British women who claim they raped and assaulted them. The brothers deny all the charges against them.
Romanian investigation
Andrew and Tristan Tate were first arrested in Romania in December 2022, alongside two Romanian women.
The brothers were charged the following June, accused of forming an organised crime group and trafficking women across Romania, the UK, and the US from 2021.
Romanian prosecutors have confirmed Andrew Tate is also accused of rape.
According to court papers, seven women say they were falsely led to believe they were entering into a relationship with the brothers.
They say they found themselves in a compound in Bucharest where they were then forced to appear in pornographic videos that were uploaded online.
The brothers deny the charges, with the elder telling reporters in August he is "sure at the end we'll be exonerated".
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Who is Andrew Tate?
They were detained for three months, followed by a period under house arrest.
In July, a court ruled they could leave Romania - but this was soon overturned by the appeals court.
Assets have been seized from four properties linked to the brothers in Bucharest and nearby Ilfov county.
Romanian anti-organised crime agency DIICOT carried out the raids in August when they took 16 luxury vehicles, a motorbike, laptops, luxury watches, and cash.
A date has not been set for the Romanian trial.
UK European arrest warrant
Since late August, Andrew Tate has been under house arrest in Romania and Tristan Tate under lighter restrictions called 'judiciary control'.
The restrictions relate to a European arrest warrant issued by Bedfordshire Police.
The force, which covers the Tates' hometown of Luton, said at the time that they were working with their Romanian counterparts on a separate investigation into allegations of rape and human trafficking against two men in their 30s and had obtained a European arrest warrant for them.
Andrew Tate's spokesperson said the allegations, which go back to between 2012 and 2015, were dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
The pair say they "unequivocally deny all allegations and decry what they perceive as an exploitative use of the legal system".
In March, a Bucharest judge said the Tates can be extradited to the UK as part of the new investigation - but only when proceedings in Romania have concluded.
UK civil case
In May this year, four British women launched a civil case against the two brothers in the High Court, accusing them of raping and assaulting them.
They are seeking "damages for injuries they suffered as a result".
Three of the women were involved in a previous criminal investigation into the Tate brothers by Hertfordshire Constabulary, which was dropped by the CPS in 2019.
A representative for them said they "unequivocally deny all allegations", and are "fully committed to challenging these accusations with unwavering determination and resolve".
Florida counter-lawsuit
In July this year, a judge in Palm Beach, Florida, ruled that the Tates can pursue civil proceedings against a woman they claim defamed and extorted money from them.
They say her "lies" resulted in them being charged in the Romanian case, for which they are seeking around at least $5m (£3.8m) in damages.
Palm Beach County circuit judge Joseph Curley pointed to evidence of her texting another woman in 2022 asking the brothers for $200,000 (£158,000) while "acting like we still love them and stuff".
He also suggested there is further evidence of the woman falsely accusing the brothers of sex trafficking and false imprisonment.
In his most recent ruling, the judge threw out the brothers' claims of false imprisonment, which related to their arrest, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and interference in business relationships.
He also dismissed defamation claims against the woman's parents, which relate to them telling an American diplomat about their daughter's accusations. The judge concluded they were entitled to tell the official as they had no reason to believe they were false at the time.
There is no trial date for the American civil case, but the brothers have said they are "most pleased" with the judge's ruling, which is the first step in addressing what they call a "plot to destroy our lives".