Thu Feb 22, 2007 3:14PM EST
MIAMI (Reuters) - Two men were charged on Thursday with violating U.S.
sanctions against Cuba by using nonexistent churches to get religious
travel licenses that allowed thousands, posing as devout churchgoers, to
visit the communist-ruled island.
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida said Victor
Vasquez and David Margolis sold the bogus licenses through travel
agencies for $250 to people who otherwise could not legally travel to Cuba.
It said in a statement that more than 4,500 people used the fraudulently
obtained licenses to travel to Cuba between April and January, in
violation of the more than 4-decade-old U.S. sanctions against Cuba.
There are a few exemptions to the travel ban, including for people who
engage in "a full-time program of religious activities" while in Cuba.
Opinion polls show the vast majority of Americans would like to be able
to visit Cuba, even though they oppose Fidel Castro's communist
government. The embargo against the island is, however, staunchly
supported by the politically powerful Cuban exile community in south
Florida.
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN2248705120070222
No comments:
Post a Comment