The U.S. is the easiest place in the world for a criminal, terrorist, tax cheat, or kleptocrat to open an anonymous shell company to launder their money with impunity. Anonymous corporations are great ways to hide money and other assets — they can hold a bank account or buy a yacht. Criminals often layer anonymous corporations, with one owning another and so on, making it even harder for law enforcement to “trace the money” and figure out who is directing the company’s activity. It’s time to ending the use of anonymous shell companies as vehicles for illicit activity by requiring that the true owners of U.S. companies be disclosed at the time of formation and updated upon any change.
The FACT Coalition and 36 other partner organizations sent a joint letter to members of the U.S. House of Representatives in support of the bipartisan Incorporation Transparency and Law Enforcement Assistance Act (H.R.4450).
The FACT Coalition and 39 other partner organizations sent a joint letter to members of the U.S. Senate in support of the bipartisan Incorporation Transparency and Law Enforcement Assistance Act (S.2489).
“Incorporation Transparency and Law Enforcement Assistance Act” Will Increase Corporate Transparency; Give Law Enforcement Important Tool for Investigating Terrorism, Other Crimes
Rampant Abuse of Anonymous Companies Featured Prominently on Sunday’s 60 Minutes
WASHINGTON, DC – The Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency (FACT) Coalition welcomed the introduction today of bipartisan legislation to give law enforcement an important tool for investigating terrorism and other crime enabled through anonymous American shell companies.
America Is the World’s Newest Tax Haven
If I asked you to name the world’s biggest tax haven, you might come up with the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, or Luxembourg. Those of you following the recent series of so-called “corporate tax inversions” might guess Ireland.
You probably wouldn’t think of the United States, but the latest edition of Bloomberg Businessweek points its finger squarely at Uncle Sam—and not without reason.
In a New York Times letter, FACT’s Clark Gascoigne writes that Treasury’s plan falls short of what’s needed to combat the financial system’s role as a money-laundering haven.
To the Editor:
Re “Property Sales Get U.S. Scrutiny” (front page, Jan. 14):
The Treasury Department’s plan to scrutinize the secret companies buying real estate in New York and Miami is a welcome first step toward cleaning up parts of the real estate market, but it falls far short of what’s truly needed to combat the United States financial system’s role as a major money-laundering haven.
But an Iowa Republican Has a Bill to Do Something about It…
Reporters at the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Nevada’s largest media outlet, are up in arms after an anonymous company—News + Media Capital Group LLC—spent $140 million to purchase the paper while refusing to disclose who owns the company. These dumbfounded journalists have run into the obscure yet increasingly prominent issue of “anonymous incorporation”, which has plagued anti-corruption warriors in developing countries for years.
At the heart of the issue are extreme secrecy rules on the books in states like Nevada, Delaware and Wyoming, which allow individuals forming companies to shield their true identities. Presidential candidate Jeb Bush has entered the fray, joking on Twitter about the paper’s anonymous owners:
Just finished hour+ @reviewjournal ed board. Only q left unanswered – who owns the newspaper?
— Jeb Bush (@JebBush) December 14, 2015
Anonymous incorporation allows fraudsters, mobsters, terrorists, money-launderers, tax-evaders and corrupt politicians to cover their tracks and evade the authorities while they rip off the public and engage in all manner of crime and illicit activity. According to the US Departments of Justice and Treasury, anonymous companies have been used to fund al Qaeda and evade sanctions in Iran.
