MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A former career American diplomat was sentenced to 15 years in prison Friday after authorities say he served as a secret agent for communist Cuba going back decades in what prosecutors portrayed as one of the most brazen and long-running betrayals in the history of the U.S. foreign service.
Protesters gathered outside the federal courthouse in downtown Miami Friday as Manuel Rocha, 73, pleaded guilty to charges of acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government and conspiracy.
“As a Cuban I cannot forgive him,” added Isel Rodriguez, a 55-year-old Cuban-American woman who stood outside the federal courthouse Friday with a group of demonstrators waving American flags. “I feel completely betrayed.”
The former American diplomat confessed to these charges, admitting to working as a spy for the Cuban government for over five decades.
“Your actions were a direct attack on our democracy. You turned your back on the country that gave you everything,” a judge told Rocha Friday.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland, speaking from Washington, announced the charges against Rocha back in December, stating that Rocha utilized his positions within the US government to support Cuba’s clandestine intelligence-gathering mission against the United States.
“The complaint alleges that Rocha sought out and used his positions within the US government to support Cuba’s clandestine intelligence gathering mission against the United States,” said Garland. “He told the undercover that his efforts to infiltrate the U.S. government were quite meticulous, disciplined and strengthened revolution immensely.”
Rocha, who served as a US diplomat for two decades, including in high-ranking positions in Bolivia and Argentina, came under FBI scrutiny after information surfaced alleging his involvement as a covert agent for Cuba’s intelligence service.
According to federal authorities, Rocha acknowledged his role as an undercover FBI agent, even referring to the United States as “the enemy” during recorded conversations.
Rocha, dressed in a beige jail uniform, asked his friends and family for forgiveness. “I take full responsibility and accept the penalty,” he said.
“Any sentence that allows him to see the light of day again would not be justice,” said Carlos Trujillo, a Miami attorney who served as U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States during the Trump administration. “He’s a spy for a foreign adversary who put American lives at risk.”
Federal authorities have been conducting a confidential damage assessment that could take years to complete. The State Department said Friday it would continue working with the intelligence community “to fully assess the foreign policy and national security implications of these charges.”
In addition to his prison time, Rocha was also ordered by a judge to pay $500,000 in fines.