New York’s Rich Condo Buyers Risk Losing Secrecy Cloak of LLCs
A proposed state law aimed at rooting out money laundering also would unmask people legitimately seeking privacy through shell companies.
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Manhattan’s billionaire condo buyers would lose the ability to keep their identities secret in real estate deals if a measure before Governor Kathy Hochul becomes law.
Limited liability companies have been listed in public records as the buyers of countless New York luxury apartments — almost all of the deals legitimate. But it’s also well-documented that the secrecy of LLCs makes them useful in concealing financial crimes. By the end of next week, Hochul must sign or veto a bill that would create a public database of shell companies, unmasking their rich, famous and sometimes criminal owners.