Thread: Only trade with US government-approved dictatorships

Only trade with US government-approved dictatorships

These guys may be locked up for providing consulting services to Cuba. Cuba is not a government-approved dictatorship, so they should have consulted with the Saudi or Georgian governments instead. It's OK to trade with those despots.

The company is accused of selling "U.S. technology" to foreigners. That's where the company went wrong. It was probably under the impression that it owned the technology. Sorry guys, the US government owns everything whether you know it or not.

This reminds me of the policies that Britain and some other western nations had in the 18th and 19th centuries. Engineers and others with specialized industrial and technical knowledge were forbidden to emigrate lest they pass on their knowledge to foreigners in foreign lands. Of course, a large number of those prisoners of their own lands secretly emigrated anyway.

Don't get too smart either. The government, which already figures it owns you, may notice you.

Boulder company faces charges for trading with Cuba

The U.S. Attorney's office announced charges against a Boulder company it says traded software and other information that was used to help Cuba with oil and gas exploration.

According to a statement issued by the U.S. Attorney's office, the company called Platte River Associates, 2790 Valmont Road in Boulder "provided specialized technical software and computer training" to Cuba.

The U.S. Attorney's office says the software was used to create a model of the potential exploration and development of oil and gas within the territorial waters of Cuba.

"Knowingly exporting sensitive U.S. technology to Cuba amounts to 'trading with the enemy' under federal law, and won't be tolerated," said U.S. Attorney Troy Eid in a news release issued late Tuesday afternoon.

According to its company Web site, Platte River Associates opened for business in Boulder in 1985. (Platte River Associates, Inc.) On the Web site home page, the company claims it has "provided expert services and solutions to the petroleum industry for over 20 years."

"Illegally exporting controlled U.S. technology is tantamount to a breech of our borders," said Jeffrey Copp, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Denver. "We will work with our law enforcement partners to identify, investigate and prosecute anyone who threatens our national security by exporting sensitive technology contrary to U.S. Export Laws."

The Denver office of the FBI also worked on this investigation.

"Those who believe they can sit behind a computer, commit a crime, and get away with it are wrong," said FBI Special Agent in Charge James Davis.

So far, none of the investigating agencies, the U.S. Attorney's office, ICE (Immigration & Customs Enforcement) and the FBI has not been able to tell if Cuba has been able to use the technology purchased to actually drill for oil.

The U.S. began a partial economic embargo against Cuba in 1950, one year following the Cuban Revolution that put Fidel Castro into power.

The company could be fined up to $1 million for not getting a license to trade with Cuba from the Secretary of the Treasury.

A separate charge was filed against the company's president, Jay E. Leonard for "obtaining unauthorized information" from a competitor's Web site.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Leonard used a wireless network connection at the Houston International Airport to hack into a competitor's Web site in Georgia.

Leonard faces not more than a year in prison and/or a $100,000 fine.

Oil and gas exploration in Cuba? The horror! Hang the traitors!

Regrettably we still have a trade embargo in force forbidding precisely what this Boulder company did. They should have known better, especially since it's commonly known that trade with Cuba is forbidden. Hopefully their punishment won't be too severe.