U.S. fines fashion magazine for sending models to Cuba

WASHINGTON, D.C.–In mid-April, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control recently settled a claim for violations of the Cuba travel embargo by Harper’s Bazaar.

The magazine paid $31,000 to settle allegations that it engaged in unlicensed payments for travel expenses in 1998 for a photo shoot in Cuba. OFAC Director Richard Newcomb said the department wanted to “emphasize our strong commitment to fully enforce travel restrictions to Cuba.”

Last year, Harper’s Bazaar sent supermodels Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss to Cuba for a photo shoot.

Under federal law, journalists affiliated with established media organizations can travel to Cuba without the need for a license from OFAC, but freelance journalists and others must obtain a license. All other travel-related transactions involving Cuba are strictly prohibited. Since October 1992, the treasury department has collected more than $2 million in civil monetary penalties for Cuba embargo violations.