Tate brothers' lawyer claims $14m supercars and $50m yacht were rented, while passports were 'cardboard props'
The brothers' legal team has claimed the pair's seemingly lavish lifestyle is just for show, insisting they were paid to promote super yachts, rented Bugattis and passports were cardboard cut-outs.
Andrew and Tristan Tate's array of supercars, alongside a $50m super yacht that regularly features in their social media posts, were all rented, fresh legal filings have revealed.
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The legal team for Andrew, 39, and Tristan, 38, are currently fighting extradition to the UK, with federal prosecutors arguing the pair should not be granted bail as they pose a flight risk.
It comes after UK authorities began extradition proceedings, with the siblings facing rape and sex trafficking charges.
New legal filings by the Tates' lawyers claim authorities have made the same mistake as the brothers' loyal online following - namely that "outrageous" social media posts, claims and boasts should not be taken literally.
Prosecutors have argued that the brothers' claims they possess as many as eight passports show they have the means of fleeing the country, with their accumulated wealth and assets additional factors that could facilitate this.
But the Tates, who continue to deny all charges against them, have instructed their legal team to suggest that their wealth and online influence aren't in fact real, with the brothers "playing a role".
The Tates' lawyers also insist suggestions they hold eight passports is nothing more than "a joke".
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According to the brothers' latest legal filing, Andrew Tate's posts are "obvious satire, hyperbole and promotion - and that were not even written by Andrew".
The claims form part of their response to prosecutors as lawyers lodge their motion for release.
Their lawyers previously claimed that the brothers' notoriety makes them too recognisable to flee.
"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," their lawyers say in the filing.
"The video in which Andrew claimed to possess passports from Estonia, Nigeria, Poland, the UK, and the US was a joke, complete with Andrew portraying a false Nigerian accent," the lawyers claim.
"The "superyacht" does not belong to the Tates. They received payment to promote the ship on social media," the filing reveals.
"For example, the $2.1million Aston Martin and $5million and $7million Bugattis featured in Tristan's videos were rented.'Prosecutors have speculated that Andrew has as many as eight passports – including from the UK, US, Estonia, Nigeria, Poland and Vanuatu – a small island nation of 340,000 inhabitants in the South Pacific."
The filing also mentions Andrew's @CobraTate X account, and suggestions his tweets generate nine figure sums, alongside that he will one day be the UK Prime Minister.
"All of these posts are hyperbole," his lawyers insist.
Several social media posts by the brothers contain suggestions of unlimited crypto, bitcoin and cash resources - claims their lawyers dismiss.
The filing in the US also makes reference to a "so-called Mexican 'passport' bearing the name 'Vladimir Scorpius'."
The legal team claims the passport is nothing more than "a cardboard prop Tristan used for a Halloween costume," the filing says.
"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."
It comes as an independent UN human rights expert was seen to welcome the proceedings to extradite the “manosphere” bloggers.
Reem Alsalem, Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, called the case an important step towards accountability for serious allegations relating to violence against women.