A former American ambassador was sentenced Friday April 12 in Miami to 15 years in prison for having spied on the United States for several decades for the benefit of Cuba, Washington's historic enemy. Victor Manuel Rocha, 73, was arrested in early December, accused of being a mole for the communist government in Havana as he climbed the ranks of American diplomacy, having access to confidential documents and influence over the American foreign policy. The ex-diplomat, who had pleaded guilty, was sentenced
“to the maximum sentence authorized by law”
, according to Judge Beth Bloom.
This case is
“one of the longest infiltrations, and affecting the most significant levels, of a foreign agent within the American state”
, the Minister of Justice estimated at the time of his indictment, Merrick Garland.
“For more than 40 years, Mr. Rocha worked as an undercover agent of the Cuban state
,” before an FBI investigation brought him down, the minister told the press. Victor Manuel Rocha held very high positions within American diplomacy: before ending his career at the State Department as ambassador to Bolivia from 2000 to 2002, he was notably a member of the National Security Council, an organ of the House -White, from 1994 to 1995, during the presidency of Bill Clinton. He was also stationed in numerous American embassies in Latin America, including that of Havana, according to a court document.
Born in Colombia and naturalized American, Victor Manuel Rocha began working for the main intelligence agency of Cuba's communist government as early as 1981, according to the investigation. Even after leaving the State Department in 2002 after about 30 years of service, he continued his spying work for Cuba, according to the Justice Department. He was confused by a member of the American federal police (FBI) who posed, in 2022 and 2023, as an agent of the Cuban intelligence services, according to a court document. The former ambassador, living in Miami,
"always referred to the United States as the enemy and used the word
'we'
to describe Cuba and himself
," the Justice Department pointed out in December.