MIAMI – The federal government will not seek restitution from a former American diplomat who acted as a spy for the Cuban government for decades.
This decision was made in a federal court hearing Friday, where prosecutors said they couldn’t directly connect Manuel Rocha’s actions to specific victims.
Rocha, 73, who pleaded guilty in May to one count of acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government and one count of conspiracy, was arrested late last year. His espionage activities spanned over five decades, during which he held significant diplomatic positions within the U.S. government.
During Friday’s hearing, the judge referred to letters from Francisco Chaviano Gonzalez, a Cuban dissident and one of Cuba’s longest-serving political prisoners, who detailed the harm inflicted by Rocha.
Despite the FBI’s interviews with Gonzalez, prosecutors were unable to find a direct link between Rocha and any specific victim, leading to the decision not to impose restitution.
The ruling has sparked outrage from Rosa Maria Payá, whose father, Oswaldo Payá, was a prominent Cuban political activist and critic of the Castro regime.
Oswaldo Payá died in Havana nearly 12 years ago, and his daughter is suing Rocha, believing that the intelligence he provided to the Cuban government played a role in her father’s death.
“We are outraged,” said Rosa Payá. “The inter-American commission of the organization of American states found the Cuban state ― the employer of Rocha — responsible for that murder.”
“We in the justice department have zero tolerance for espionage activity from anyone,” said a prosecutor after Friday’s hearing.
Rocha was sentenced to 15 years in prison in April after authorities said 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.
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 back in April.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland, speaking from Washington, announced the charges against Rocha back in December, stating that Rocha utilized his positions within the U.S. government to support Cuba’s intelligence-gathering mission against the U.S.
“The complaint alleges that Rocha sought out and used his positions within the U.S. 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 the revolution immensely.”
Rocha, who served as a U.S. 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 agent, even referring to the United States as “the enemy” during recorded conversations.
After Rocha was sentenced, he asked his friends and family for forgiveness.
“I take full responsibility and accept the penalty,” he said.
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.”
“I truly doubt that all the due diligence has been done,” said Rosa Payá.
In addition to his prison time, Rocha was also ordered by a judge to pay $500,000 in fines.
Read Rocha’s waiver of appearance for Friday’s restitution hearing in the document below: