Controversial influencer Andrew Tate portrays himself as “uberwealthy” but did not own cars and a yacht featured on his social media and exaggerated his lifestyle for online attention, his legal representatives have said.
Tate and his brother Tristan are currently being held in a Florida jail but are seeking release on bail while they await the outcome of extradition proceedings.
They were arrested last month after British prosecutors unveiled new charges including alleged sexual offences against them, which both men deny.
Prosecutors have argued the Tates are a “flight risk”, citing the brothers’ past statements about their wealth and influence and having multiple identities to evade the law.
In a legal submission to the court, the brothers’ legal representatives said the Tates’ 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,” it says.
At times Andrew Tate has also exaggerated and used hyperbole for “comedic effect” with no intention to be taken seriously, the submission argues.
“The government alleges that the Tates are a risk of flight based on their social media claims that they are ‘self-proclaimed billionaires’ who own ‘high-end vehicles, private jets, and a custom $50-million-dollar superyacht and have unrestricted access to traditional funds, cryptocurrency, and bitcoin,'” it says.
“But the government has not established these grandiose claims are true,” it adds.