Andrew Tate rented supercars and borrowed a yacht to appear “uberwealthy” and generate online engagement, his lawyer has said.
Legal representatives for the self-described misogynist social media influencer and his brother, Tristan Tate, have claimed the pair deliberately portray themselves as far wealthier than they are because their “business model depends on online attention”.
The submissions come after British police sought the brothers’ extradition from the US over an investigation into rape, assault and facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation. The brothers were arrested in July.
They have continued to protest their innocence on X from the federal detention centre in Miami, Florida.
In a court filing, their lawyers said: “Andrew and Tristan are social media personalities. Their business model depends on online attention.
“The outrageousness of the posts by them and about them is the point. The more hyperbolic and outlandish the post, the more likely it will generate views and likes, which in turn generates income. In short, they are playing a role.”
The brothers’ legal representatives said images of luxury yachts, supercars and expensive watches shared by the brothers online should not be taken as evidence of their wealth.
Their submissions continued: “A promotional video filmed aboard a yacht is not evidence of title to the yacht. The ‘superyacht’ does not belong to the Tates. They received payment to promote the ship on social media.
“Further, the Tates are engaged in several businesses ‘teaching’ men how to earn money. It is in their interest to portray themselves on social media as uberwealthy.
“For example, the $2.1m Aston Martin and $5m and $7m Bugattis featured in Tristan’s videos were rented. The valuation of Andrew’s watch collection is based on a third-party enthusiast publication.”
The filing also mentions Andrew Tate’s X account, and suggestions his tweets generate nine-figure sums, as well as his past claims that he will one day be the UK prime minister. “All of these posts are hyperbole,” his lawyers wrote.
Several social media posts by the brothers contain suggestions of unlimited crypto and cash resources. His lawyers say this is not true.
The filing in the US also made reference to a “so-called Mexican ‘passport’ bearing the name ‘Vladimir Scorpius’. The submission said the passport was nothing more than a “cardboard prop Tristan used for a Halloween costume.”
“No one can seriously suggest that Tristan adopted a covert identity, with the purpose of evading international law enforcement, under the name of a famous fictional supervillain.”
Andrew Tate, 39, and Tristan Tate, 38, were arrested in Miami on 18 July. Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service said on 19 July it had brought new charges against the two relating to alleged offences involving four alleged victims between July 2010 and August 2017.
Separately, Andrew Tate is being sued in England by four women over allegations of sexual violence, with the former professional kickboxer’s lawyers previously telling the high court there was a “total denial of wrongdoing”.. Three of the women bringing the civil case reported allegations of rape and sexual assault against Tate to Hertfordshire police in 2014 and 2015, but prosecutors then dropped the case.
The civil trial was adjourned in May after the force said it would reinvestigate the alleged offences.
The CPS said the 38 additional charges, in addition to 21 existing charges, relate to alleged offences between July 2010 and August 2017.
The brothers are also facing legal proceedings in Romania and were due to be extradited to the UK after those proceedings concluded, after Bedfordshire police secured European arrest warrants for the pair in 2024.
Andrew Tate wrote on Monday that he would fight extradition. “My life is a movie and I’m my own stuntman,” he wrote on X.