shell company

British  

noun

1. a near-defunct company, esp one with a stock-exchange listing, used as a vehicle for a thriving company

2. a company that has ceased to trade but retains its registration and is sold for a small sum to enable its new owners to avoid the cost and trouble of registering a new company

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Example Sentences

Kwan had collected different poisons and ingredients bought under a shell company he had set up out his workplace, Happy House Surgery, which he told colleagues was formed to manage his properties, the tribunal heard.

From BBC

Police also found links to a shell company in the UAE which had allegedly been used to launder £4.9m of advertising revenue since 2010, as well as £150,000 in cryptocurrency.

From BBC

Investigators also identified a shell company possibly used to launder the advertising revenue, which totaled to around $6.2 million, and an investment of $200,000 in cryptocurrency.

From Los Angeles Times

On Aug. 1, federal prosecutors filing a legal brief alleging that taxpayer funds from the county went into a slush fund held by a shell company to help pay for its illegal activities.

From Los Angeles Times

A couple hours down the coast, Ellen DeGeneres and mining tycoon Robert Friedland — more specifically, a shell company linked to Friedland — engaged in a high-end home swap in Santa Barbara.

From Salon