Incorporation: Hit Me Again

CARSON CITY, Nev. — Attention extraterrestrials: incorporate in Nevada.

The state’s loosely defined laws of incorporation are a lucrative source of government income from registration fees. They also make Nevada one of the most unrestricted and attractive places for a business to call home.

But the laws have also brought in hundreds of corporations that nobody’s ever heard of, including some run by people who claim to consult with aliens from outer space.

The Legislature is now considering ways to tighten the laws to prevent possible abuses, particularly by shady telemarketers

The secretary of state’s office says one couple alone has incorporated more than 200 company names in Nevada since 1991--E. J. and Doris Ekker of the Phoenix Institute for Research and Education, based in Tehachapi, Calif. The Ekkers are listed as top officers of corporations with names such as Mothership Inc., Cosmos Ventures, Cosmic Quest, Star Force Corp., Back to Light Inc. and Sun Vision.

Doris Ekker, 60, a retired nurse, claims to be a translator for Commander Hatonn, whom she describes as an extraterrestrial orbiting Earth and warning of intergalactic strife.

Luke Perry of Las Vegas says what’s involved is a scheme to bilk unsuspecting investors.

In a lawsuit that has focused attention on the state’s anything-goes incorporation laws, Perry says $120,000 of his family’s money now is controlled by the Ekkers, who have tied up at least $2 million in investors’ funds.