A former career US diplomat, who served as the US ambassador to Bolivia, has pleaded guilty to working as an agent of Cuba for over 40 years.
Victor Manuel Rocha, 73, was accused of covertly passing information to the communist-run Cuban government since 1981 while employed by the US State Department.
In a Miami court on Thursday, he changed his initial plea of not guilty.
His sentencing is scheduled for a hearing on April 12.
This development swiftly concludes one of the most prominent espionage cases between Cuba and the US.
Originally, Thursday’s court session was slated to address the handling of classified documents related to the case, as reported by the Miami Herald. However, Mr. Rocha, his legal counsel, and prosecutors unexpectedly revealed that a plea agreement had been reached.
When asked by Judge Beth Bloom if he wished to plead guilty, Mr. Rocha responded affirmatively, stating, “Your honour, I am in agreement.”
He faces charges under the Foreign Agents Registration Act for acting as a foreign agent, wire fraud, and making false statements to obtain a US passport.
Evidence gathered by investigators includes covert recordings of Mr. Rocha admitting to decades of service for Cuba, praising the late Cuban leader, Fidel Castro, as “Commandante,” and referring to the United States as “the enemy.”
Mr. Rocha and his legal team seemingly concluded that a guilty plea was the most prudent course of action.
The BBC has reached out to his lawyer for comment.
Effectively, Mr. Rocha must acknowledge the US government’s accusation that he spent the majority of his professional life working for the Cuban Revolution in US outposts in Havana and Buenos Aires, while concurrently advancing in the US diplomatic service.
Thus far, there has been no discussion in court regarding Mr. Rocha’s sentencing or whether he accepted a plea bargain in exchange for cooperation.
“They owned us. They beat us. That’s one of the reasons I have this personal grudge against the Cuban intelligence service because they have been so successful in operating against us,” stated Mr. Olson.
“He’s a traitor. He betrayed our country. I think that’s contemptible, and I don’t think he’s going to see the light of day again,” he added.
The US and Cuba have had a fraught relationship since Fidel Castro overthrew a US-backed government over 60 years ago.
In the 1960s, the US imposed a trade embargo against Cuba. Former President Barack Obama and former Cuban President Raul Castro took steps to normalize relations in 2015, though former US President Donald Trump later reversed many of these actions.
Born in Colombia, Mr. Rocha was raised in New York City and obtained degrees from Yale, Harvard, and Georgetown.
According to prosecutors, he worked as US ambassador to Bolivia from 1999 to 2002 and served in various government roles, including at the National Security Council, for 25 years. Besides Bolivia, he has also served in postings in Argentina, Honduras, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic.
After leaving the diplomatic service, he continued in a lucrative private consulting role as a special advisor to the US Southern Command, the part of the US military that oversees Cuba.
In November 2022, an undercover FBI agent contacted Mr. Rocha via WhatsApp, claiming to be a representative of Cuban Intelligence Services delivering a message from “your friends from Havana,” the charging document stated.
Mr. Rocha agreed to meet the agent several times, including once at a food court, because there was “no possibility for anyone to see me” there, he said, according to court documents.
During three meetings with the undercover FBI agent, Rocha began to divulge details about his time working as a secret agent for the Cuban government, the charging document described.
Mr. Rocha allegedly used the term “we” to describe Cuba and himself, and said he wanted to “protect … what we have done”.
When the agent, posing as a Cuban spy, asked him “are you still with us?” Mr. Rocha responded that he was “angry” to have his loyalty questioned.
“It’s like questioning my manhood,” he said.
