Nearly 100 Armenian citizens have been proxy directors for a network of companies used by Eastern European oligarchs to conduct money laundering, asset shifting, and lobbying in the United States since 2017, according to an investigation by Hetq and Forensic News. The companies are largely registered in Central Europe and Southeast Asia, and many are shareholders of each other, with some involvement in the Russian laundromat scandal. The investigation found evidence that many of the Armenian directors did not know why the companies they supposedly led were created or what they did, but received incentives such as luxury trips to Europe. The two-person team of Orest Backman and Andery Vastor created the websites for most of the companies, largely in Central Europe and Southeast Asia. The Czech Republic has played a role in the scheme, with those acting as directors visiting the country to open bank accounts for companies. Many of the companies were created by ArranConsult, which was involved in the Moldovan scandal.