http://www.dawn.com/news/1251429
Sheikh was found to be the owner of three of the offshore firms, registered in Delaware, that were used to channel “illicit earnings” to Pakistan, the NYT report quoted US officials as saying.
The new findings stem from financial records, company registrations, sworn testimony, communications between Pakistani and American officials, and “hundreds of hours of taped phone conversations filed in court.”
Documents linked with the company show it owned other shell companies in the British Virgin Islands, Cyprus, Dubai and Panama. Sheikh allegedly used the pseudonym 'Ryan Jones' to sign papers for these companies, the report said.
Citing "hundreds of hours of taped phone conversations extracted from Axact servers", the NYT report said Axact sales agents impersonated American lawyers or US State Department officials to cajole customers into paying more money.
In one case mentioned in the report of such impersonation, a Pakistani man pleaded for respite from "Jacob" — an Axact sales agent acting as a US university official.
“Please, please, Mr. Jacob,” said the man, saying he had already paid $150,000 to Axact. “I have sold all of my assets to pay this last amount. I am not eating well. I am not sleeping well.”
“Look, you’re not paying that much,” the sales agent responded, before threatening with possible police action. “Just another $10,000.”