A former U.S. ambassador to Bolivia has been arrested and charged with spying for Cuba for more than 30 years, according to the Department of Justice.
Victor Manuel Rocha, 73, was taken into custody in Miami on Friday and is facing charges of conspiracy to commit espionage, acting as an agent of a foreign government, and making false statements to federal authorities.
Rocha, who was born in Cuba and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1967, joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1972 and served in various diplomatic posts in Latin America, including Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. He was appointed as the U.S. ambassador to Bolivia in 1998 and served until 2001.
According to the indictment, Rocha began working for the Cuban Intelligence Directorate (DGI) in 1974, when he was stationed in Bogota, Colombia. He allegedly met with Cuban intelligence officers, provided them with classified information, and received instructions and payments from them. He also used encrypted devices and codes to communicate with his handlers.
The indictment alleges that Rocha’s espionage activities continued until 2005, when he retired from the U.S. State Department. He is accused of disclosing information related to U.S. national security, foreign policy, and personnel matters, as well as the identities of U.S. intelligence sources and agents.
Rocha’s arrest is the result of a joint investigation by the FBI and the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.
The case is one of the most serious examples of infiltration of the U.S. government by a foreign agent, and it comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Havana over human rights and democracy issues in Cuba.
