|
| founder = Dan Keen
| hq_location_city = [[Sheridan, Wyoming]]
| hq_location_country = United States<ref name=":1" />
| services = [[Registered agent]]
| owner = Dan Keen
| subsid = [[Epik]]
| website = {{Official URL}}
}}
'''Registered Agents Inc. (RAI)''' is an American [[registered agent]] firm founded in 2008. The company provides business formation services to set up [[Limited liability company|limited liability companies]] and [[Corporation|corporations]] and acts as a point of contact for legal notices. The company is headquartered in Wyoming where approximately 120,000 companies are associated with its address.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":13" />
'''Registered Agents Inc. (RAI)''' is a United States-based [[registered agent]] company founded by Dan Keen in 2008. Since 2023, RAI has been the owner of [[Epik]], a [[domain name registrar]] and [[web hosting service]] known for providing services to [[alt-tech]] websites that host [[Far-right politics|far-right]], [[Neo-Nazism|neo-Nazi]], and other [[Extremism|extremist]] materials.<ref name=":9">{{Cite magazine |last=Turton |first=William |date=February 8, 2024 |title=The Far Right's Favorite Web Host Has a Shadowy New Owner |url=https://www.wired.com/story/epik-domain-registrar-new-owner/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240213021939/https://www.wired.com/story/epik-domain-registrar-new-owner/ |archive-date=February 13, 2024 |access-date=February 13, 2024 |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Collins |first=Benedict |date=February 9, 2024 |title=The world's most controversial domain registrar has a new owner — and apparently it is "forging a new path" |url=https://www.techradar.com/pro/the-worlds-most-controversial-domain-registrar-has-a-new-owner-and-apparently-it-is-forging-a-new-path |access-date=April 20, 2024 |work=[[TechRadar]] |archive-date=March 18, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240318224700/https://www.techradar.com/pro/the-worlds-most-controversial-domain-registrar-has-a-new-owner-and-apparently-it-is-forging-a-new-path |url-status=live }}</ref> ▼
RAI is known for obscuring ownership of the businesses it forms by listing its address and, in some reported instances, the use of [[Pseudonym|fictitious personas]] as the agent of record on clients' business formation documents.<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":13" /><ref name=":1" />
▲'''RegisteredIn Agents2024, Inc. (RAI)''' is a United States-based [[registered agent]]the company foundedreceived bymedia Dancoverage Keenafter in 2008. Since 2023, RAI has been the owner ofacquiring [[Epik]], a [[domain name registrar ]] and [[web hosting service]]company known for providing domain registration services to the [[alt -tech]] websites that host [[Far-right politics|far-right]] , [[Neo-Nazism|neo-Nazi]], and other [[Extremism|extremist]] materials.<ref name=":9">{{Cite magazine |last=Turton |first=William |date=February 8, 2024 |title=The Far Right's Favorite Web Host Has a Shadowy New Owner |url=https://www.wired.com/story/epik-domain-registrar-new-owner/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240213021939/https://www.wired.com/story/epik-domain-registrar-new-owner/ |archive-date=February 13, 2024 |access-date=February 13, 2024 |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Collins |first=Benedict |date=February 9, 2024 |title=The world's most controversial domain registrar has a new owner — and apparently it is "forging a new path" |url=https://www.techradar.com/pro/the-worlds-most-controversial-domain-registrar-has-a-new-owner-and-apparently-it-is-forging-a-new-path |access-date=April 20, 2024 |work=[[TechRadar]] |archive-date=March 18, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240318224700/https://www.techradar.com/pro/the-worlds-most-controversial-domain-registrar-has-a-new-owner-and-apparently-it-is-forging-a-new-path |url-status=live }}</ref ><ref name=":13" />
== History ==
In 2008, Dan Keen founded RAI after running a tree trimming and landscaping business in Idaho.<ref name=":13" /> Initially focusing on company incorporation in the [[Pacific Northwest]],<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Czaban |first=Kristen |date=November 25, 2020 |title=Commercial registered agents bring business with unintended consequences |url=https://www.thesheridanpress.com/news/local/commercial-registered-agents-bring-business-with-unintended-consequences/article_8959264a-2e78-11eb-8fab-9b8d11be00ee.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240220073257/https://www.thesheridanpress.com/news/local/commercial-registered-agents-bring-business-with-unintended-consequences/article_8959264a-2e78-11eb-8fab-9b8d11be00ee.html |archive-date=February 20, 2024 |access-date=March 10, 2024 |work=The Sheridan Press}}</ref> Dan Keen grew RAI into a [[registered agent]] incorporating companies throughout the United States.<ref name=":13">{{Cite magazine |last1=Turton |first1=William |last2=Mehrotra |first2=Dhruv |date=March 5, 2024 |title=Inside the Shadowy Firm Pushing the Limits ofThe BusinessSecrets PrivacyFactory |url=https://www.wired.com/story/registered-agents-inc-fake-personas/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240309003004/https://www.wired.com/story/registered-agents-inc-fake-personas/ |archive-date=2024-03-09 |access-date=2024-03-10 |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028 |quote=The company routinely incorporates thousands of businesses on behalf of its customers using fake personas. Former Registered Agents Inc. employees say that the company’s widespread use of personas is an outgrowth of its founder’s obsession with privacy and a desire to push the boundaries of incorporation laws.}}</ref> According to ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'', RAI is a "one-stop shop for people seeking to incorporate a business in any US state, often in those with advantageous tax policies, while obscuring their identities."<ref name=":13" /> RAI uses [[Pseudonym|fictitious personas]] to mask the identities of its employees and to sign their customers' incorporation documents, according to ''Wired''.<ref name=":13" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Wolfson |first=Leo |date=July 31, 2024 |title=Are Wyoming's Secretive LLC Laws Making State A "Haven For Scammers?" |url=https://cowboystatedaily.com/2024/07/30/are-wyomings-secretive-llc-laws-making-state-a-haven-for-scammers/ |access-date=August 1, 2024 |work=Cowboy State Daily |archive-date=July 31, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240731055653/https://cowboystatedaily.com/2024/07/30/are-wyomings-secretive-llc-laws-making-state-a-haven-for-scammers/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In Wyoming alone, RAI serves as the registered agent for over 50,000 companies.<ref name="snoozy">{{Cite news |last=Snoozy |first=Ashleigh |date=July 17, 2023 |title=Another scam recorded from business related to 30 N. Gould St. registered agent |url=https://www.thesheridanpress.com/news/local/another-scam-recorded-from-business-related-to-30-n-gould-st-registered-agent/article_52b040ca-f622-11eb-a595-e7f2de685e62.html |access-date=March 31, 2024 |work=The Sheridan Press |archive-date=February 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240213213510/https://www.thesheridanpress.com/news/local/another-scam-recorded-from-business-related-to-30-n-gould-st-registered-agent/article_52b040ca-f622-11eb-a595-e7f2de685e62.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
In 2020, RAI threatened to sue a Wyoming newspaper, ''The Sheridan Press''',''''' after it reported RAI to be the registered agent of companies with no presence in Wyoming that had received [[CARES Act]] money during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name="ICIJ"/> In 2022, a joint investigation by ''[[The Washington Post]]'' and the [[International Consortium of Investigative Journalists]] found that RAI served as the registered agent to companies alleged to [[Money laundering|launder]] COVID-19 funds.<ref name="ICIJ">{{Cite news |last1=Will |first1=Fitzgibbon |last2=Cenziper |first2=Debbie |last3=Crites |first3=Alice |date=April 5, 2022 |title=The gatekeepers who help open America to oligarchs and scammers |url=https://www.icij.org/investigations/pandora-papers/the-gatekeepers-who-help-open-america-to-oligarchs-and-scammers/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240305205425/https://www.icij.org/investigations/pandora-papers/the-gatekeepers-who-help-open-america-to-oligarchs-and-scammers/ |archive-date=March 5, 2024 |access-date=March 10, 2024 |work=[[International Consortium of Investigative Journalists]] |quote=Until last month, the company listed “Bill Havre” as board president and executive director...ICIJ and The Post searched public records in Wyoming and across the United States, including voter registration and property records, and found no one listed by that name.}}</ref> The same year, [[KELO-TV]] reported that RAI served as the registered agent for a company operating illegal [[robocall]]s targeted by the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Soulek |first=Lauren |date=July 11, 2022 |title=Some scam robocalls may stem from a SD company |url=https://www.keloland.com/news/local-news/some-scam-robocalls-may-stem-from-a-sd-company/ |access-date=March 31, 2024 |work=[[KELO-TV]] |archive-date=August 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220814032501/https://www.keloland.com/news/local-news/some-scam-robocalls-may-stem-from-a-sd-company/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2023, the [[Committee to Protect Journalists]] reported that a company incorporated with RAI was used in [[Cyberattack|cyberattacks]] against media organizations in several countries.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rozen |first=Jonathan |date=2023-09-19 |title='Network abuse': Attacks on 3 media sites involved services of US, UK firms |url=https://cpj.org/2023/09/network-abuse-attacks-on-3-media-sites-involved-services-of-us-uk-firms/ |access-date=2024-08-22 |website=[[Committee to Protect Journalists]] |language=en-US |archive-date=2024-07-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240728094256/https://cpj.org/2023/09/network-abuse-attacks-on-3-media-sites-involved-services-of-us-uk-firms/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The same year, [[Reuters]] reported that RAI served as the registered agent for Russian and Somali [[cybercrime]] groups.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Satter |first=Raphael |date=December 12, 2023 |title=How cybercriminals are using Wyoming shell companies for global hacks |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/cybersecurity/how-cybercriminals-are-using-wyoming-shell-companies-global-hacks-2023-12-12/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20231212115343/https://www.reuters.com/technology/cybersecurity/how-cybercriminals-are-using-wyoming-shell-companies-global-hacks-2023-12-12/ |archive-date=December 12, 2023 |access-date=March 31, 2024 |work=[[Reuters]]}}</ref>
In 2020, RAI threatened to sue a Wyoming newspaper, ''The Sheridan Press''',''''' after it investigated RAI as the registered agent of companies with no presence in Wyoming that had received [[CARES Act]] money.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="ICIJ"/> In 2022, a joint investigation by ''[[The Washington Post]]'' and the [[International Consortium of Investigative Journalists]] found that RAI served as the registered agent to companies alleged to [[Money laundering|launder]] COVID-19 funds.<ref name="ICIJ">{{Cite news |last1=Will |first1=Fitzgibbon |last2=Cenziper |first2=Debbie |last3=Crites |first3=Alice |date=April 5, 2022 |title=The gatekeepers who help open America to oligarchs and scammers |url=https://www.icij.org/investigations/pandora-papers/the-gatekeepers-who-help-open-america-to-oligarchs-and-scammers/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240305205425/https://www.icij.org/investigations/pandora-papers/the-gatekeepers-who-help-open-america-to-oligarchs-and-scammers/ |archive-date=March 5, 2024 |access-date=March 10, 2024 |work=[[International Consortium of Investigative Journalists]] |quote=Until last month, the company listed “Bill Havre” as board president and executive director...ICIJ and The Post searched public records in Wyoming and across the United States, including voter registration and property records, and found no one listed by that name.}}</ref> The same year, [[KELO-TV]] reported that RAI served as the registered agent for a company operating illegal [[robocall]]s targeted by the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Soulek |first=Lauren |date=July 11, 2022 |title=Some scam robocalls may stem from a SD company |url=https://www.keloland.com/news/local-news/some-scam-robocalls-may-stem-from-a-sd-company/ |access-date=March 31, 2024 |work=[[KELO-TV]] |archive-date=August 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220814032501/https://www.keloland.com/news/local-news/some-scam-robocalls-may-stem-from-a-sd-company/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2023, [[Reuters]] reported that RAI served as the registered agent for Russian and Somali [[cybercrime]] groups.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Satter |first=Raphael |date=December 12, 2023 |title=How cybercriminals are using Wyoming shell companies for global hacks |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/cybersecurity/how-cybercriminals-are-using-wyoming-shell-companies-global-hacks-2023-12-12/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20231212115343/https://www.reuters.com/technology/cybersecurity/how-cybercriminals-are-using-wyoming-shell-companies-global-hacks-2023-12-12/ |archive-date=December 12, 2023 |access-date=March 31, 2024 |work=[[Reuters]]}}</ref> In January 2024, RAI was reported to serve as the registered agent for a [[vital record]]s intermediary company later shut down by the Wyoming authorities for misrepresentation.<ref>{{Cite news |last=McFarland |first=Clair |date=January 19, 2024 |title=Official Wyoming Record-Keeper Warns Of Shady Online Sites Hoarding Personal Data |url=https://cowboystatedaily.com/2024/01/19/official-wyoming-record-keeper-warns-of-shady-online-sites-hoarding-personal-data/ |access-date=April 1, 2024 |work=Cowboy State Daily |archive-date=April 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240401211318/https://cowboystatedaily.com/2024/01/19/official-wyoming-record-keeper-warns-of-shady-online-sites-hoarding-personal-data/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The same year, an RAI-registered company was linked to an organization providing [[dark money]] to political campaigns, and another was linked to an election [[disinformation]] operation involving a proposed library bond.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Racker |first1=Mini |last2=Sollenberger |first2=Roger |date=May 16, 2024 |title=This Mysterious New GOP Dark Money Group Raises All Kinds of Red Flags |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/mysterious-gop-dark-money-group-ardleigh-impact-corp-raises-all-kinds-of-red-flags |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240516175326/https://www.thedailybeast.com/mysterious-gop-dark-money-group-ardleigh-impact-corp-raises-all-kinds-of-red-flags |archive-date=May 16, 2024 |access-date=June 4, 2024 |work=[[The Daily Beast]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Hussein |first=Tayeba |date=March 10, 2024 |title=Dirty tricks in Maitland library campaign? Hit mailer flouts political laws |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/03/10/dirty-tricks-in-maitland-library-campaign-hit-mailer-flouts-political-laws/ |access-date=April 3, 2024 |work=[[Orlando Sentinel]] |archive-date=March 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240317154856/https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/03/10/dirty-tricks-in-maitland-library-campaign-hit-mailer-flouts-political-laws/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In May 2024, investigative journalist [[Leah Sottile]] found that RAI had formed and maintains a shell company in Wyoming called TwinRay Ventures for secretive religious group, TwinRay, that is based in southern Oregon.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sottile |first1=Leah |author-link=Leah Sottile |date=May 7, 2024 |title=The TwinRay mystery: A spiritual group in Ashland raises eyebrows and worries |url=https://www.opb.org/article/2024/05/07/twinray-ashland-oregon-the-haven-cult/ |access-date=2 August 2024 |website=[[Oregon Public Broadcasting]] |publisher= |archive-date=2 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240802154523/https://www.opb.org/article/2024/05/07/twinray-ashland-oregon-the-haven-cult/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The same month, Wyoming Secretary of State [[Chuck Gray (Wyoming politician)|Chuck Gray]] dissolved three companies registered by RAI that the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI) found to be linked to fraud directed by North Korea's [[Ministry of Defence (North Korea)|Ministry of Defence]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Turton |first=William |date=June 5, 2024 |title=A US Company Enabled a North Korean Scam That Raised Money for WMDs |url=https://www.wired.com/story/registered-agents-north-korean-scam-wmds/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240605095940/https://www.wired.com/story/registered-agents-north-korean-scam-wmds/ |archive-date=June 5, 2024 |access-date=June 5, 2024 |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Wolfson |first=Leo |date=May 21, 2024 |title=Chuck Gray Strips North Korean Businesses Of Wyoming Licenses After Flagged By FBI |url=https://cowboystatedaily.com/2024/05/21/chuck-gray-strips-3-north-korea-businesses-flagged-by-fbi-of-wyoming-licenses/ |access-date=May 23, 2024 |work=Cowboy State Daily |archive-date=May 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240522002142/https://cowboystatedaily.com/2024/05/21/chuck-gray-strips-3-north-korea-businesses-flagged-by-fbi-of-wyoming-licenses/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Gookin |first=Marit |date=May 22, 2024 |title=North Korean businesses registered under false information dissolved |url=https://www.gillettenewsrecord.com/news/wyoming/article_d053d555-954e-56c2-86f6-5f44e6afa2f6.html |access-date=May 23, 2024 |work=[[Gillette News Record]] |archive-date=May 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240522190807/https://www.gillettenewsrecord.com/news/wyoming/article_d053d555-954e-56c2-86f6-5f44e6afa2f6.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
== Subsidiaries ==
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