Former US ambassador charged with spying for Cuba sentenced to 15 years in prison

A former U.S. ambassador charged with spying for Cuba was sentenced Friday to 15 years in prison. according to to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Victor Manuel Rocha, 73, who served as the U.S. ambassador to Bolivia from 2000 to 2002, was charged with “conspiring to act as an agent of a foreign government and conspiring to commit fraud against the United States as an agent.” Pleaded guilty to two charges of “conducting activities.” According to a press release from the Department of Justice, as required by law, we cannot accept notifications from foreign governments without notice. After pleading guilty, he was sentenced to the “maximum statutory penalty” of 10 and a half years in prison.

“Today’s arguments and sentencing bring to an end more than 40 years of betrayal and deception by this defendant,” Assistant Attorney General Matt Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division said in a statement.

“Rocha’s admission that he acted as an agent of the Cuban government while holding a number of positions of trust in the U.S. government is a stunning betrayal of the American people, and every oath he has sworn to the U.S. is a lie. ”Olsen continued.

Rocha told U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom, who is overseeing his case, in late February that he intended to plead guilty to the charges brought against him by the Justice Department in December 2023.

Mr. Rocha was accused of using his access to classified information and foreign policy influence to aid Cuba, including by leaving the United States to meet with Cuban representatives.

“We recognize that Rocha’s decades of criminal activity on behalf of the Cuban government is particularly painful to many people in South Florida,” Markenzie LaPointe, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, said in a statement. “I’m putting it in there,” he said. “While Rocha’s willingness to cooperate as required by the plea agreement is important, the seriousness of Rocha’s misconduct and confidential breach of trust remains.”

The Hill has reached out to Rocha’s attorney.