BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaUS diplomat turned Cuban spy jailed for 15 yearsPublished3 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Victor Rocha abruptly reversed his plea in February after initially pleading not guilty to the charges.By Bernd Debusmann JrBBC News, WashingtonAn ex-career diplomat who once served as US ambassador to Bolivia has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for working as an agent for Cuba. Victor Manuel Rocha, 73, secretly passed information to the Cuban government for more than 40 years, according to prosecutors. In February, Rocha changed his initial not guilty plea in a Miami court and ensured he would avoid a trial. The espionage case is among the highest profile ever between the US and Cuba.Dressed in a beige jail uniform on Friday, Rocha told a federal courtroom in Miami: “I plead guilty.” In addition to prison, Rocha must also pay a $500,000 fine and cooperate with authorities.US Attorney General Merrick Garland referred to Rocha’s crimes as “one of the highest-reaching and longest-lasting infiltrations of the US government by a foreign agent”.The Colombian-born, Yale and Harvard-educated Rocha served as US ambassador to Bolivia between 1999 and 2022, as well as in a variety of other diplomatic postings in Argentina, Honduras, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. He also served in other government roles, including one with the National Security Council. After his diplomatic service ended, Rocha served as a consultant for the US military’s Southern Command, which oversees all of Latin America and the Caribbean – including communist Cuba. In November 2022, an undercover FBI agent contacted Rocha on WhatsApp and claimed to be working on behalf of Cuba’s intelligence service. The agent said he was delivering a message from “your friends in Havana”, according to court documents. Over the course of three subsequent meetings, Rocha revealed details of his previous espionage on Cuba’s behalf. At one point, Rocha used the term “we” to describe Cuba and himself, vowing to “protect” what “we” have done together. The Cuban spying case that has shocked the US governmentHow Cuban spy used incredible memory to betray USWhen asked whether he was “still with us”, Rocha told the undercover agent that he was “angry” that his loyalty to the Cuban regime was being questioned. “It’s like questioning my manhood,” he said.The US has had a tense relationship with Cuba ever since Fidel Castro overthrew the island’s US-backed government in 1959, a revolution that was swiftly followed by a US trade embargo. While then-president Barack Obama and former Cuban President Raul Castro took steps to normalise relations in 2015, many of those actions were reversed by the Trump administration. In an interview with the BBC, former CIA counter-intelligence chief James Olson said the case was emblematic of how Cuba’s intelligence service “beat” their US adversaries over the decades. “They owned us,” Mr Olson said. “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.”Mr Olson referred to Rocha as a “traitor”. “He betrayed our country,” he said. “I think that’s contemptible, and I don’t think he’s going to see the light of day again.”Related TopicsCubaCIASpyingUnited StatesMore on this storyFormer US diplomat pleads guilty to spying for CubaPublished29 FebruaryThe Cuban spying case that has shocked the US governmentPublished9 JanuaryHow Cuban spy used incredible memory to betray USPublished10 January 2023Top StoriesAngela Rayner: I will step down if I committed criminal offencePublished8 hours ago’Don’t’ – Biden warns Iran against attacking IsraelPublished4 hours agoUkraine could face defeat in 2024. Here’s how that might lookPublished3 hours agoFeaturesThe Papers: Rayner says ‘bring it on’ and ‘honeytrap sex plot’The children living between starvation and deathHow a North Korean missile researcher became a South Korean MPFacing disaster – the Forest fans at HillsboroughAttributionSportSun, smoke and sport: Photos of the weekHow Zendaya perfected ‘method dressing’The migrant story shining a light on Gulf states’ exploitationSuicide is on the rise for young Americans. Why?’I survived the ferry disaster – but lost 17 of my family’Elsewhere on the BBC’She was the right side of cheeky’Dua Lipa makes a surprise visit to her old schoolAttributioniPlayerFrom the largest ship to disasters on deck…A closer look at times when cruise ships have caused commotionAttributioniPlayerThese adorable mice love Sir David AttenboroughThey bond over Planet Earth III and mountains of poo!AttributioniPlayerRobin Williams: from iconic shots to private snapsTen defining pictures throw a unique lens onto an extraordinary lifeAttributioniPlayerMost Read1Why did all the Little Chefs disappear?2Ukraine could face defeat in 2024. Here’s how that might look3Joe Lycett reveals H from Steps statue hoax4BBC Russian journalist branded ‘foreign agent’5Truss thought ‘why me, why now?’ after Queen’s death6Rayner says ‘bring it on’ and ‘honeytrap sex plot’7Rayner: I’ll stand down if I’ve broken the law8’Don’t’ – Biden warns Iran against attacking Israel9Doctor Who: Varada Sethu confirmed as new companion10Jon Richardson and Lucy Beaumont to divorce

• newsinsightplus.com
Blog
• April 13, 2024
• 0 Comments