Arrest and Charges
Victor Manuel Rocha, a former U.S. diplomat who served as the U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia from 2000 to 2002, was arrested on Monday in Miami, Florida, on charges of secretly acting as an agent of the Cuban government for over 40 years.
Rocha, 73, is accused of using his positions in the U.S. Department of State, the National Security Council, and the U.S. Southern Command to access and transmit nonpublic information, including classified information, to Cuba’s intelligence services.
DOJ Statement
The Department of Justice announced the charges in a press release, calling Rocha’s alleged conduct “one of the highest-reaching and longest-lasting infiltrations of the United States government by a foreign agent.”
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said that Rocha “betrayed” the trust of the American people by “falsely pledging loyalty to the United States while serving a foreign power.”
FBI Director Christopher Wray said that Rocha “violated” his oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States by acting as an agent for Cuba, “a hostile foreign power.”
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the National Security Division said that Rocha “abused” his position of trust in the U.S. government to “advance the interests of a foreign power.”
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida said that Rocha “endangered” American democracy by engaging in “clandestine activity for hostile foreign states” and providing “false information” to the U.S. government.
Rocha’s Career and Alleged Activities
According to the complaint, Rocha, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Colombia, began working for Cuba’s General Directorate of Intelligence in or around 1981 and continued to the present. He obtained employment in the U.S. Department of State in 1981 and served in various positions, including on the National Security Council from 1994 to 1995 and as the U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia from 2000 to 2002. After his State Department employment ended, Rocha continued to support Cuba’s intelligence services as an advisor to the Commander of the U.S. Southern Command from 2006 to 2012.
Rocha’s Methods and Cover
The complaint alleges that Rocha kept his status as a Cuban agent secret in order to protect his cover and avoid detection by U.S. authorities. He allegedly communicated with his Cuban handlers through encrypted messages, coded language, and covert meetings. He also allegedly concealed his travel to Cuba and his contacts with Cuban officials.
Potential Penalties and Court Appearance
Rocha is charged with conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government, acting as an agent of a foreign government, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and making false statements to a federal officer. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for each count of conspiracy and wire fraud, 10 years in prison for acting as an agent of a foreign government, and five years in prison for making false statements.
Rocha made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman in Miami on Monday and was ordered to remain in custody pending a detention hearing scheduled for Thursday.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Miami Field Office and Counterintelligence Division, and is being prosecuted by the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida
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