MIAMI — US federal prosecutors are seeking to revoke the American citizenship of former ambassador Victor Manuel Rocha, arguing that he obtained citizenship through false statements while secretly working for Cuba for decades.A filing in federal court in Miami alleges that Rocha concealed ties to communism and criminal conduct during his naturalization process in 1977 and 1978 while covertly serving Cuban intelligence interests.Rocha, who was born in Colombia, was charged in 2023 with conspiring to act as a foreign agent and defrauding the United States. He later pleaded guilty in 2024 to acting as an illegal foreign agent for Cuba.According to prosecutors, Rocha admitted as part of a plea agreement that he began secretly working for Cuban intelligence in 1973 — years before becoming a US citizen — and later used senior government positions to support Havana’s interests.US Attorney Jason A. Reding Quinones described Rocha as “one of the most prolific Cuban spies ever uncovered in the United States.”“Victor Manuel Rocha was not a low-level operative,” Quinones said in a statement, adding that Rocha obtained citizenship “through lies, concealment, and betrayal.”Rocha is currently serving a 15-year sentence in a federal prison in Florida.Prosecutors said he was recruited in Chile in 1973 and later joined the US Department of State in 1981 after earning graduate degrees from Harvard University and Georgetown University.He served in Honduras and later worked as a political officer at the US Embassy in the Dominican Republic between 1982 and 1985.According to the US Attorney’s Office, Rocha was secretly recorded in meetings with an undercover Federal Bureau of Investigation agent in 2022 and 2023 discussing his role as a Cuban intelligence operative.During those conversations, prosecutors said Rocha referred to the United States as “the enemy,” praised Fidel Castro as “the comandante,” and described Cuban intelligence contacts as his “companeros.”MIAMI — US federal prosecutors are seeking to revoke the American citizenship of former ambassador Victor Manuel Rocha, arguing that he obtained citizenship through false statements while secretly working for Cuba for decades.A filing in federal court in Miami alleges that Rocha concealed ties to communism and criminal conduct during his naturalization process in 1977 and 1978 while covertly serving Cuban intelligence interests.Rocha, who was born in Colombia, was charged in 2023 with conspiring to act as a foreign agent and defrauding the United States. He later pleaded guilty in 2024 to acting as an illegal foreign agent for Cuba.According to prosecutors, Rocha admitted as part of a plea agreement that he began secretly working for Cuban intelligence in 1973 — years before becoming a US citizen — and later used senior government positions to support Havana’s interests.US Attorney Jason A. Reding Quinones described Rocha as “one of the most prolific Cuban spies ever uncovered in the United States.”“Victor Manuel Rocha was not a low-level operative,” Quinones said in a statement, adding that Rocha obtained citizenship “through lies, concealment, and betrayal.”Rocha is currently serving a 15-year sentence in a federal prison in Florida.Prosecutors said he was recruited in Chile in 1973 and later joined the US Department of State in 1981 after earning graduate degrees from Harvard University and Georgetown University.He served in Honduras and later worked as a political officer at the US Embassy in the Dominican Republic between 1982 and 1985.According to the US Attorney’s Office, Rocha was secretly recorded in meetings with an undercover Federal Bureau of Investigation agent in 2022 and 2023 discussing his role as a Cuban intelligence operative.During those conversations, prosecutors said Rocha referred to the United States as “the enemy,” praised Fidel Castro as “the comandante,” and described Cuban intelligence contacts as his “companeros.”
US seeks to revoke citizenship of ex-ambassador convicted of spying for Cuba
