shell company

A shell company is a business entity that exists on paper but has no significant operations, employees, or assets of its own, and is often used to hold or move funds, hold property, or obscure the identity of those who ultimately control it. Shell companies have legitimate uses but can also facilitate money laundering, fraud, and the concealment of payments. The $130,000 hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels was routed through a shell company created by Michael Cohen, and the scheme in which Russian state media funds reached right wing social media influencers also moved through shell companies.