Former U.S. Ambassador Arrested on Charges of Secretly Working for Cuba and Boasting of Strengthening the Revolution

A former U.S. ambassador was arrested on Monday on charges of secretly working for Cuba and boasting that his decades of work for Havana had “strengthened the revolution immensely.”

Victor Manuel Rocha, 73, was apprehended in Miami on Friday and was expected to make his first court appearance on Monday. Rocha, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Cuba, allegedly spied on behalf of the island nation’s intelligence agency since 1981 and referred to the U.S. as “the enemy.”

Rocha had served as the U.S. ambassador to Bolivia from 2011 to 2016. According to charging documents, Rocha had an ongoing relationship with Cuba and provided information to the Cuban government. However, the indictment does not provide details about the information that prosecutors allege Rocha shared.

The U.S. Department of Justice has charged Rocha with acting as an agent of a foreign government without notifying the U.S. Attorney General. If convicted, Rocha faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

The arrest of Rocha is part of the U.S. government’s ongoing efforts to combat foreign interference in the United States. The Department of Justice is committed to holding accountable those who seek to undermine U.S. national security by acting as agents of foreign governments.