Former U.S. diplomat Manuel Rocha, 73, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for being a covert agent for the Cuban government. Born in Colombia and raised in Harlem, Rocha’s journey from a scholarship to Yale University to becoming a spy for Cuba was revealed in a federal court in Miami.
Rocha admitted to being influenced by radical politics during his college years in the late ’60s and early ’70s, leading to his betrayal of the United States during his two decades in the State Department. Despite a successful transition to the private sector, Rocha’s past caught up with him, resulting in a maximum sentence for conspiring to defraud the U.S. government and acting as an illegal foreign agent for Cuba.
U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom, who called Rocha the “enemy” of the country that gave him everything, imposed a $500,000 fine and ordered restitution for his potential victims. Rocha’s arrest in December revealed one of the highest-reaching infiltrations of the U.S. government by a foreign agent, according to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland.
Rocha’s extensive career in the State Department and various Latin American embassies, including a deputy role in the U.S. diplomatic mission in Havana, highlighted the depth of his betrayal. Despite expressing remorse and seeking forgiveness from his family and friends, Rocha’s actions have left a lasting impact on those closest to him.