According to the Wall Street Journal, Tether and Bitfinex were connected to organizations that utilized fictitious papers and shell businesses to keep access to the financial system. Tether referred to the report's conclusions as "stale charges from a long time ago" and "wholly incorrect and deceptive" in a statement. The company continued by claiming that it was a "proud" collaborator with law enforcement and that it "routinely and willingly" helped authorities both domestically and internationally.