Lawyers for Andrew and Tristan Tate have admitted in new US court filings that much of the brothers' online image of extreme wealth was fabricated, arguing that federal prosecutors have wrongly taken their exaggerated social media boasts at face value. The admission comes as the pair, held at a Miami detention centre since 18 July while fighting extradition to the UK on sex offence charges, seek release on bond; prosecutors had argued their apparent riches and multiple passports made them a flight risk, a claim their lawyers now say rests on "obvious satire, hyperbole, and promotion".

The filings reveal that a $14 million fleet of Bugattis and an Aston Martin seen in Tristan's videos were rented rather than owned, and that a $50 million superyacht cited by prosecutors belonged to someone else, with the brothers merely paid to promote it. Their lawyers say boasts such as Andrew's tweets earning nine figures, becoming British prime minister, or claims to eight passports (including a joke video with a fake Nigerian accent) were deliberate exaggerations designed to generate online engagement and income, not literal statements of fact. Andrew, 39, and Tristan, 38, deny all charges against them worldwide.