Rocha Case: One of the greatest betrayals of the U.S. Foreign Service

U.S. prosecutors called the Rocha case one of the most brazen betrayals in the history of the U.S. foreign service.

The former diplomat was charged with acting as a foreign agent rather than espionage, which facilitated a plea bargain between prosecutors and Rocha.

Judge Beth Bloom sentenced Friday to 15 years in prison former U.S. diplomat Victor Manuel Rocha, who admitted working for decades as a secret agent for Cuba's communist dictatorship.

Judge Beth Bloom imposed the sentence, which consists of 5 years for conspiracy and 10 years for acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government, to be served consecutively.

The 15-year prison sentence includes three years of supervised release and $500,000 in fines.

Rocha, 73, appeared in federal court in Miami to plead guilty to defrauding the U.S. government and conspiring to act as an agent of a foreign government as part of a plea agreement.

He was arrested by the FBI in December for clandestine activities on behalf of Cuba since at least 1981, including meetings with Cuban intelligence agents and providing false information to U.S. government officials.

Rocha was charged with 15 counts of six felonies, which would have carried a maximum prison sentence of 60 years.

"Rocha not only betrayed the United States, the country he served in office, but may have had high complicity in crimes against humanity," Sylvia Iriondo, president of the exile group MAR por Cuba, told EFE.

Manuel Rocha, who also served as U.S. ambassador to Bolivia and deputy director of the U.S. Interests Section in Cuba, was arrested in early December in Miami.

He first appeared before a Miami court on December 4, 2023, charged with conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government without prior notification to the Attorney General.

The sentence reflects the seriousness of his actions and violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, as well as wire fraud and false statements to obtain a U.S. passport.

Video Sentencia Manuel Rocha en EEUU

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