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Former United States ambassador Víctor Manuel Rocha has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for spying on behalf of the Cuban regime for over three decades. Rocha has acknowledged his actions and expressed his commitment to repairing the damage caused to his victims through his collaboration with the agencies of the country he betrayed.
In front of Judge Beth Bloom before the reading of the sentence, Rocha accepted full responsibility for his actions and the consequences he must face. He stated, “the damage caused through my unconditional collaboration with those I betrayed.” The judge imposed a total of 15 years in prison, with 5 years for the conspiracy charge and 10 years for acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government.
Rocha, who was born in Colombia and raised in Harlem, escaped his humble beginnings by earning scholarships to prestigious schools. However, influenced by radical politics during his time at Yale University, he eventually became a spy for the Cuban regime. Rocha admitted to betraying his allegiance to the United States during his two decades at the State Department.
After leaving the diplomatic field, Rocha pursued a successful career in the private sector, working as a senior executive in the mining industry. In December 2023, he was arrested in Miami after confessing his activities to an FBI agent posing as a Cuban spy.
Prosecutors accused Rocha of acting as an undercover agent for Cuba’s intelligence services for decades, with recorded meetings between 2022 and 2023 with an FBI agent posing as a Cuban representative. Despite initial reports in 2006 to the CIA about Rocha’s espionage activities, the accusations were dismissed at the time.
Recently, Rocha transferred four luxury properties worth over $4 million to his wife Karla Wittkop Rocha. The case has sparked significant interest and raised questions about the extent of espionage and betrayal within the diplomatic circles.
