DALLAS, TX — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has set his sights on the tech sector, launching a sweeping investigation into nearly 30 North Texas businesses accused of exploiting the federal H-1B visa program. The allegation? These companies are operating as “ghost offices”—shell entities with no real physical footprint in Texas, set up primarily to fraudulently sponsor foreign IT and tech workers.
While the Attorney General’s office issued Civil Investigative Demands (CIDs) to dozens of companies, public records shed light on nine specific entities swept up in the probe. A deep dive into their Texas Secretary of State and Comptroller filings reveals a paper trail of strip-mall suites, residential homes, and recently minted LLCs that perfectly illustrate why state investigators are asking questions.
Here is the background on the companies currently under the microscope.
The Paper Trail: What the Filings Reveal
The state’s accusations center on the idea that these companies do not have the operational capacity or physical workspaces they claim to possess. Looking at their corporate registrations, a few glaring patterns emerge:
1. The Pandemic and Post-Pandemic Boom
While a couple of the companies have been registered for over a decade, several of the entities in the probe were formed very recently. Tekpro IT LLC, Fame PBX LLC, and Techquency LLC were all spun up between mid-2023 and mid-2024. In visa fraud investigations, sudden bursts of newly formed, low-profile LLCs are often flagged by authorities as potential shell vehicles.
2. The “Ghost” Addresses
True to the “ghost office” moniker, the official addresses for many of these companies do not point to bustling corporate campuses or standard office buildings. Several point directly to single-family residential homes or apartment complexes. Others utilize suite numbers associated with retail strip centers or virtual registered agent services—a legal practice, but one that draws scrutiny when a company claims to house a robust IT workforce.
3. Tax and Registration Lapses
At least one company on the list, Oak Technologies Inc., currently has its right to transact business in Texas involuntarily ended due to franchise tax issues, rendering its SOS registration inactive.
The Companies Under Investigation
Below is the public registry data for the nine tech firms explicitly named, with suspected residential home addresses redacted for privacy.
Tekpro IT LLC
- Status: Active
- Formed: July 2024
- Background: One of the newest entities on the list, Tekpro was formed less than two years before the investigation. Its registered office is listed at a suite on Custer Road in Plano.
- Registered Agent: Lakshmana Murthy Bennabhaktula
Virat Solutions, Inc.
- Status: Active
- Formed: July 2019 (Formed in Delaware, operating in TX)
- Background: A foreign for-profit corporation that set up its Texas registration just before the pandemic. Its mailing address points to a suite in Frisco, while its registered office points to a residential location.
- Registered Office:
[REDACTED], Frisco, TX 75034 - Registered Agent: Anusha Kodakandla
1st Ranking Technologies LLC
- Status: Active
- Formed: December 2013
- Background: One of the older companies in the probe, operating for over a decade. Both its mailing and registered agent address point to a residential neighborhood in McKinney.
- Registered Office:
[REDACTED], McKinney, TX 75070 - Registered Agent: Aravind Dachepalli
Blooming Clouds LLC
- Status: Active
- Formed: September 2018
- Background: Registered in Horseshoe Bay, Texas, with management operating out of state. The managing member’s address points to a residential location in Georgia.
- Registered Office: 100 Bunny Run Ln Ste 203, Horseshoe Bay, TX
- Managing Member: Ravikanth Kotagiri (
[REDACTED], Cumming, GA)
Fame PBX LLC
- Status: Active
- Formed: September 2023
- Background: A very recent addition to the Texas registry, formed under a year before the AG’s investigation was announced. Registered to a suite in Plano.
- Owner / Agent: Maruf Hossain (3400 Silverstone Dr Ste 110, Plano, TX)
Oak Technologies Inc.
- Status: Inactive (Franchise Tax Involuntarily Ended)
- Formed: February 2011
- Background: Despite being the oldest company on this list, Oak Technologies is currently not in good standing with the state. Its registered office points to an apartment unit in Irving.
- Registered Office:
[REDACTED], Irving, TX 75038 - Treasurer/Director: Suresh Gottipati
Qubitz Tech Systems LLC
- Status: Active
- Formed: September 2021
- Background: Formed during the height of the remote-work boom. While its mailing address is a suite on W Airport Fwy in Irving, its registered agent and manager addresses point to a residential home in Frisco.
- Registered Office & Manager Address:
[REDACTED], Frisco, TX 75035 - Manager: Vasantha Madiraju
Techpath Inc.
- Status: Active
- Formed: August 2011
- Background: An older Irving-based entity utilizing a third-party commercial registered agent service in Austin. Its officers and directors list a suite on North MacArthur Blvd in Irving.
- Officers/Directors: Radhika & Vijay
Techquency LLC
- Status: Active
- Formed: June 2023
- Background: Another recently formed LLC. Like Techpath, it uses a third-party registered agent service in Austin (Registered Agents Inc.) to maintain its Texas footprint.
- Member: Vamsikrishnareddy Challa
What’s Next?
The issuance of a CID is not a declaration of guilt, but rather a formal demand for internal documents, emails, and operational records. As the Texas Attorney General’s office combs through the inner workings of these nine companies, the local tech industry will be watching closely to see if the “ghost office” allegations result in formal legal action—and what it might mean for the future of H-1B sponsorship in the Lone Star State.
