Anonymous companies provide human traffickers the secrecy they crave. Opaque ownership structures make it difficult to track the individuals involved, while providing plausible deniability for those who profit from human trafficking operations.
A group of five leading international NGOs signed a letter endorsing the ILLICT CASH Act (S.2563) in a bid to end the abuse of anonymous companies in the American financial system.
The National Districts Attorneys Association published a letter endorsing the ILLICIT CASH Act (S. 2563) to bring an end to the abuse of the American financial and business sectors by anonymous shell companies.
The Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency Coalition (FACT Coalition) sent a letter of support to the leadership of the House of Representatives endorsing the Corporate Transparency Act of 2019 (H.R. 2513) and the Coordinating Oversight, Upgrading and Innovating Technology, and Examiner Reform (COUNTER) Act of 2019 (H.R. 2514) ahead of the chamber’s floor vote on October 22, 2019.
Anonymous companies have been used by rogue employees to embezzle money, fraudulent vendors to undermine supply chains, and bogus competitors to steal contracts.
With fewer resources than larger enterprises, small businesses are often easy targets for scammers and criminals.
In 2017, a Colorado court convicted four individuals, including a former police officer, of racketeering, money laundering, and conspiracy for illegally selling counterfeit Denver Broncos merchandise as well as additional sports products from other professional and college teams around the country. A key element of the international counterfeiting scheme was the use of more than 20 anonymous companies.
This is just one of a number of schemes that were highlighted in a FACT Coalition report, titled “Anonymous Companies Help Finance Illicit Commerce and Harm American Businesses and Citizens,” which was published earlier this year. Authored by David M. Luna, a former U.S. national security official and current chair of the Anti-Illicit Trade Committee of the United States Council for International Business, the report reveals the harms imposed upon legitimate businesses, unwitting consumers, and even the United States military by anonymous companies engaging in the trade in counterfeit and pirated goods. Currently, these criminal entities operate with impunity in the United States and are able to circumvent the law with little risk of accountability. The report concludes that enacting legislation requiring the disclosure of beneficial ownership information is an essential measure to combat the increasingly prolific abuses perpetrated by these shadowy networks.
