Former US diplomat sentenced to 15 years for spying for Cuba: Details

Former US diplomat Victor Manuel Rocha sentenced to 15 years for working as an agent for Cuba

Former US diplomat sentenced to 15 years for spying for Cuba: Details
Former US diplomat Victor Manuel Rocha sentenced to 15 years for working as an agent for Cuba

A former United States (US) career diplomat who was once the US ambassador to Bolivia, Victor Manuel Rocha, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for working as a spy for Cuba.

Rocha, aged 73 secretly passed information to the Cuban government for over 40 years, according to Prosecutors

As per BBC, in February, Rocha altered his original plea of not guilty in a Miami court, opting to avoid a trial. This espionage case stands out as one of the most prominent disputes between the US and Cuba.

In a federal courtroom in Miami on Friday, dressed in a beige jail uniform, Rocha stated, "I plead guilty."

Rocha sentenced 5 years for conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government and 10 years for acting as a foreign agent to be served consecutively.

In addition to prison, Rocha must also pay a $500,000 fine and cooperate with authorities.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland described Rocha's actions as one of the most far-reaching and enduring infiltrations of the US government by a foreign agent.

Originally from Colombia and educated at Yale and Harvard, Rocha held various diplomatic positions, including serving as US ambassador to Bolivia from 1999 to 2022, as well as roles in Argentina, Honduras, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. He also worked for the National Security Council.

Following his diplomatic career, Rocha worked as a consultant for the US military's Southern Command, responsible for overseeing operations in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Cuba.

In November 2022, an undercover FBI agent, posing as a representative of Cuba's intelligence service, contacted Rocha via WhatsApp.

Rocha, in subsequent meetings, disclosed his past espionage activities for Cuba. He even expressed loyalty to the Cuban regime, referring to himself as part of "we".

The US-Cuba relationship has been strained since Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution, which led to a US trade embargo.