Washington — A former best U.S. diplomat who maximum not too long ago served as The usa’s ambassador to Bolivia used to be arrested Friday and charged with performing as a overseas agent of Cuba, in keeping with courtroom paperwork. Starting as early as 1981 and proceeding thru to the current day, Victor Manuel Rocha — a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Cuba and these days dwelling in Miami — allegedly spied on behalf of the island country’s intelligence company, regarding the U.S. as “the enemy” and supporting Cuba’s clandestine intelligence-gathering undertaking, in keeping with prosecutors.
Whilst the indictment does no longer supply information about the guidelines that prosecutors allege Rocha shared with the Cubans throughout the many years he’s accused of running with them, charging paperwork describe an ongoing dating he fostered with Cuban handlers.
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Running with unnamed conspirators inside of Cuba’s intelligence group, Rocha allegedly “agreed to behave and did act as a clandestine agent of the Cuban executive,” charging paperwork published.First, as a political officer on the U.S. Embassy within the Dominican Republic, Rocha moved his method up thru more than a few diplomatic posts within the area, charging paperwork say, together with as director of Inter-American Affairs for the U.S. Nationwide Safety Council. That function, in keeping with prosecutors, gave him particular accountability over Cuban coverage. Investigators mentioned Rocha had get entry to to delicate knowledge as an worker of the State Division, signed nondisclosure agreements and used to be required to “confirm his loyalties to the USA and lack of covert task on behalf of any overseas country.” And from 2006 thru 2012, Rocha used to be an adviser to the commander of the joint command of the U.S. army within the area, which integrated Cuba. Court docket paperwork say unspecified proof from the investigation, coupled with a large number of conferences in recent times between Rocha and an undercover FBI agent, led prosecutors to carry the fees.
Over 3 conferences in 2022 and 2023, investigators allege Rocha mentioned his decades-long partnership with Cuban intelligence, telling the secret agent throughout their first assembly out of doors a Church in Miami, “My primary precedence used to be … any motion at the a part of Washington that will— would endanger the lifetime of— of the management… revolution itself.””I’ve to give protection to what we did as a result of what we did…the cement that has bolstered the final 40 years,” Rocha allegedly advised the secret agent throughout their 2nd assembly, “What we now have completed… it is huge. … Greater than a grand slam.”
This symbol supplied by way of the Justice Division and contained within the affidavit in enhance of a legal criticism presentations Manuel Rocha throughout a gathering with a FBI undercover worker.
Division of Justice / AP
And in June 2023, throughout their final assembly, the secret agent requested Rocha if he used to be “nonetheless with us.” “I’m offended. I am frustrated…It is like wondering my manhood,” Rocha allegedly spoke back. Rocha is about to look in federal courtroom for an preliminary look Monday afternoon in Miami.
Lawyer Basic Merrick Garland mentioned at an match Monday, “This motion exposes one of the vital furthest achieving and longest-lasting infiltrations of the U.S. executive by way of a overseas agent.” The Cuban Embassy didn’t reply to a request for remark, and Rocha’s legal professional additionally didn’t in an instant go back request for remark.Rocha’s preliminary look in courtroom came about Monday, and he’ll be arraigned later this month.The fees in opposition to Rocha come nearly a yr after every other a Cuban undercover agent used to be free of jail after greater than two decades in the back of bars. Ana Montes, a former analyst for the Protection Intelligence Company, spied for Cuba for 17 years, revealing the identities of the USA’ undercover intelligence officials and its extremely delicate assortment features, till her arrest in 2001.
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Robert Legare
Robert Legare is a CBS Information multiplatform reporter and manufacturer protecting the Justice Division, federal courts and investigations. He used to be up to now an affiliate manufacturer for the “CBS Night time Information with Norah O’Donnell.”
