Company owners in Florida and across the nation sometimes come under the FBI’s radar if it is believed that they may be involved in criminal activity. Depending on the circumstances, an investigation may be brief or remain ongoing for months or longer. After years of investigation, allegations surfaced regarding white collar crime that suggested one corporation had set up shell companies to be used for fraudulent purposes.
U.S. Corporation Services was founded in 1988. The company sells shell companies in a number of states, including Florida. After a lingering investigation that produced no charges against the company owner, the Federal Bureau of Investigation claimed in 1997 that it believed that U.S. Corporation Services sold shell companies to buyers involved in criminal transactions, purposefully choosing those in states without stringent incorporation laws.
Since the man’s death in 2012, his widow has been running the company. She recently stated her company’s actions are entirely legal, arguing that no selling corporation is responsible for whatever a buyer may do after purchasing a company. She said that holding a seller accountable for something that occurs after a purchase is akin to saying that an automotive dealer is liable for what a customer does with a vehicle after it has been purchased.
It is no simple matter to be accused of white collar crime as a business owner in the United States. The implications of such are often enough to damage a business’s reputation and profitability. Anyone in Florida whose company has come under federal investigation may want to consult with a criminal lawyer as soon as possible in order to obtain guidance about how best to proceed within the legal system, given the circumstances.
Source: bizjournals.com, “Some shell companies set up by Roseville firm were used for fraud, authorities say“, Dec. 1, 2015
