Uncle Sam v. Michael Moore

MAY 10--Director Michael Moore is being investigated by the Treasury Department for traveling to Cuba in violation of a U.S. trade embargo. In a May 2 letter, the Office of Foreign Assets Control informed Moore that he was the subject of a civil investigation stemming from the filmmaker's March trip to Cuba. Moore reportedly traveled there with 9/11 rescue workers who were seeking medical care. The trip was filmed as part of Moore's documentary "Sicko," which examines the U.S. health care industry (and premieres at the Cannes film festival on May 19). In the letter to Moore, a copy of which you'll find below, a Treasury official noted that the department had no record of Moore obtaining a license that authorized him to "engage in travel-related transactions involving Cuba." The letter, which the director released today, does not detail the penalties Moore might face for his Cuba trip, but notes that he is required by law to provide the government with a "detailed written report" about his travels. According to the letter, Goldflat Productions (which produced "Sicko") applied in October 2006 for permission for Moore and others to travel to Cuba. But apparently that request had not been acted on by Treasury officials by the time Moore went to Cuba earlier this year. (2 pages)