[brenth]

link

WASHINGTON - The Treasury Department agency entrusted with blocking the financial resources of terrorists has assigned five times as many agents to investigate Cuban embargo violations as it has to track Osama bin Laden's and Saddam Hussein's money, documents show.

In addition, the Office of Foreign Assets Control said that between 1990 and 2003 it opened just 93 enforcement investigations related to terrorism. Since 1994 it has collected just $9,425 in fines for terrorism financing violations.

In contrast, OFAC opened 10,683 enforcement investigations since 1990 for possible violations of the long-standing economic embargo against Fidel Castro's regime, and collected more than $8 million in fines since 1994, mostly from people who sent money to, did business with or traveled to Cuba without permission.

I would be interested to see what the numbers were since 2001.

 

[LordOpie]

wow, that's staggering

Originally posted by brenth
I would be interested to see what the numbers were since 2001.

Well, you can be sure the numbers to fight terrorism aren't any more than 93 cases for a total of 9,425 in fines...

In addition, the Office of Foreign Assets Control said that between 1990 and 2003 it opened just 93 enforcement investigations related to terrorism. Since 1994 it has collected just $9,425 in fines for terrorism financing violations.

The only guess I can make -- and I hope it's the case -- is that all this sort of stuff is going thru another agency.

 

[brenth]

Originally posted by LordOpie

The only guess I can make -- and I hope it's the case -- is that all this sort of stuff is going thru another agency.

Looking through the Treasury website breifly, the OFAC seems to be only one of a few Bureaus under the EOTF/FC ( executive office for Terrorist financing and finacial crime ). But under the freezing terrorist finacing bullet on the main page, they only referance the OFAC. interesting, I'm going to bed.

 

[Spud]

A little thread drift here, but - I read a factoid claiming the IRS website is managed/produced by an offshore US company.

Anyone else hear that? No luck on google.

 

[Slugman]

Originally posted by Spud
A little thread drift here, but - I read a factoid claiming the IRS website is managed/produced by an offshore US company.

Anyone else hear that? No luck on google.

Yeah, it's a subsidiary of Halliburton...

 

[Slugman]

Of course - we know where Castro is... so he's easy to track!

 

[brenth]

Originally posted by Slugman
Of course - we know where Castro is... so he's easy to track!

very true, but I would still think that there was more of an insentive to hunt UBL's funds than castros.

 

[Joe Pozer]

I still don't understand what is the purpose of maintaining an embargo on Cuba. They don't pose a threat to us...The only fall out of lifting the embargo would be some pissed off old Cubans in South Florida.

Originally posted by Spud
A little thread drift here, but - I read a factoid claiming the IRS website is managed/produced by an offshore US company.

Anyone else hear that? No luck on google.

I wouldn't be surprised...

 

[Spud]

Originally posted by Joe Pozer
I still don't understand what is the purpose of maintaining an embargo on Cuba. They don't pose a threat to us...The only fall out of lifting the embargo would be some pissed off old Cubans in South Florida.

DING DING We have a winner - Florida is a swing state in this November's election and the old Cubans in South Florida vote.

Me a cynic? Never.