And to be fair, why would OG release his.
Why not? It's a public number that means he can do business and collect taxes in his state.
There is nothing private about a business number. OG doesn't have one and has never paid taxes. :/
I am not very knowledgeable on the US tax matter, so excuse me to ask the question.
Do you have to set up a entity (business) to conduct trading/ business in the Us state where he resides ?
If it is on a small scale, can't you just use your own SSN and bank account instead of setting up a business account and IRS number.
How do you know that the business structure he has set up (Ltd maybe ?) isn't linked to his real name / address / SSN. Maybe it is the case in his State and not yours ? (again, asking question, i just don't know the answer).
In the county where I live (not the USA).
You can conduct business (as a hobby, on a small scale) without setting up a proper business entity.
But if you set up a business, the director name and place of business is publicly available.