Andrew Tate allegedly had explicit images of people having sex with live animals including a horse and an eel, court documents show. The alleged offences are detailed in a filing linked to efforts by UK authorities to extradite the social media influencer from the US to Britain to face rape and sex trafficking charges.
Documents also allege Mr Tate of making and possessing indecent images and video of a minor. His attorney, Joseph McBride, told TMZ police there is no proof his client ever watched the videos and police are attempting to tie him to a device found in a "flop house", US slang for a cheap hotel.
Lawyer dismisses allegations as 'prosecution slop'
Mr McBride dismissed the allegations as "prosecution slop" and claimed authorities in the UK only have a report about a video on a device which he said no longer exists. He told TMZ the Government's "Andrew Tate fetish" has got so bad "somebody needs professional help".
The allegations were put to Mr Tate's lawyer who pointed this publication to a lengthy statement posted on social media which said his client had never downloaded, received, or viewed images of people with animals and that images circulating in large group chats could have been saved to the devices automatically.
UK authorities waited almost 10 years to bring charges
He said the UK authorities waited almost 10 years to bring charges after seizing the devices in 2015 and questioning Mr Tate in 2016. The lawyer said those charges were authorised on July 10, eight days before Mr Tate was arrested in Miami. Mr McBride said: "That is a dubious unfolding of events, to say the least."
Investigators in the UK allege Mr Tate and his brother Tristan Tate groomed vulnerable women using a "lover boy" model of exploitation before forcing them into creating online pornography "through a culture of fear and intimidation". Both men have denied wrongdoing.
Prosecution case outlined in Miami court documents
A detective with Bedfordshire Police laid out the prosecution case against the brothers in newly-released court documents in Miami. The investigator said the pair established intimate relationships to snare the women and get them to travel to Romania with the promise of earning money, before pressuring them into performing sexual content on webcam through threats and violence. One of the complainants was reportedly menaced with a machete, according to the court filing.
The Tates are divisive figures who built a large online following, mainly among young men and boys, to whom they have been accused of promoting misogyny and toxic masculinity. Former professional kickboxers, the siblings hold dual US and British citizenship. They have been in custody since their arrest in July. The pair were detained after more charges were brought against them by the UK authorities.
Bedfordshire Police's summary lodged with the court in support of the extradition proceedings said the Tates used their status "to attract and pursue vulnerable women". It added: "The complainants were often individuals who had experienced failed or abusive relationships, social isolation, low self-esteem or other personal vulnerabilities.
"The prosecution case is that these vulnerabilities were not incidental, but were deliberately identified and exploited by the Tate brothers." The statement went on: "It is alleged these relationships were not genuine romantic partnerships, but formed part of a wider pattern of coercive conduct through which the Tate brothers established and maintained control over the complainants.
"The operation incorporated features commonly associated with the 'lover-boy' model of exploitation. This method involves an offender presenting himself as a romantic partner, demonstrating affection, attention and apparent commitment in order to establish emotional dependency.
"It is also alleged Andrew Tate further encouraged the women to move to Romania by claiming they could earn 'substantial sums of money' through the webcam business if they wished. However, the prosecution allege this was a "carefully cultivated deception".
The summary said: "Whilst the complainants had travelled to Romania ostensibly of their own free will, the prosecution case is that, upon arrival, they were subjected to a range of controlling measures. Their passports were removed and retained, they were accommodated in premises under the Tate brothers' control, and they became dependent upon the Tate brothers for accommodation, transport and financial support.
"It added: "The prosecution case is that Andrew Tate and Tristan Tate used and threatened physical and sexual violence in order to maintain control and compliance. There was a culture of fear and intimidation created by Andrew and Tristan Tate.
"By means of manipulation, coercion and violence the complainants were pressured to produce increasingly intimate pornographic material for subscribers on webcams."
Lawyer questions extradition over secret accusers
Mr McBride has argued the accusations cannot be "meaningfully tested" as the British prosecutors had not identified the complainants. Unlike in the UK, victims of alleged sex crimes in the US are not automatically granted anonymity.
Mr McBride said: "No American court should be asked to surrender a person to a foreign country on the word of secret accusers. If Britain wants America to extradite Andrew and Tristan Tate, America must first demand that Britain identify the people accusing them."
