WASHINGTON — In a first for an online travel company, Travelocity.com has been fined by federal regulators for booking trips between America and Cuba in violation of a 45-year-old embargo.

Travelocity.com earlier this month paid $182,750 to settle a complaint brought by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, which said the company violated the prohibition nearly 1,500 times between January 1998 and April 2004.

Treasury’s complaint said Travelocity “provided travel-related services in which Cuba or Cuban nationals had an interest by arranging air travel and hotel reservations to, from, with or within Cuba without an OFAC license.” Dozens of travel service providers have been granted licenses by OFAC for approved trips to and from Cuba for everything from academic, religious, and journalistic activities to humanitarian projects and visits to immediate family.

Travelocity spokesman Joel Frey yesterday said the company had not applied for a license and did not intend to.

“The trips to Cuba were unintentionally permitted to be booked by consumers online because of some technical failures several years ago and it’s just now being finally settled with OFAC,” Mr. Frey wrote in an e-mail. “In no way did the company intend to allow bookings for trips to Cuba and the company has fully cooperated with OFAC and implemented corrective measures.”

Treasury spokeswoman Molly Millerwise said any individual or business that violates the Cuban sanctions can face civil or criminal penalties.

Travelocity cooperated with OFAC’s investigation.

A Mexican subsidiary of American Express Travel Related Services Co. Inc. also agreed to pay $16,625 to settle OFAC allegations of Cuba-related violations. In December 2002 and October 2003, the Mexican company made sales of group travel packages to Cuba, according to the government.

Elsewhere, OFAC fined one unnamed individual $999.45 and another person $510 for buying Cuban cigars for sale on the Internet.

[Cuban authorities have released a dissident who was jailed three years ago on vague political charges, a veteran rights activist said yesterday.

Lazaro Gonzalez Adan, 37, who belonged to an independent labor movement, was freed Tuesday said Elizardo Sanchez of the National Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation.

Police visited Mr. Gonzalez in October 2004 after he painted a Cuban flag and two quotes about liberty by independence hero Jose Marti on his house.

When Mr. Gonzalez refused police demands to erase the paintings, he was arrested on charges of disrespect, disobedience to authorities, and resisting arrest. He received a three-year prison sentence.

According to the commission, 246 political prisoners were being held as of June 30, compared with 283 at the beginning of 2007 and 316 a year ago. Government opponents say they continue to be harassed by authorities. Dissident Francisco Chaviano was freed Friday following 13 years behind bars.]