In December 2023, Victor Manuel Rocha, a naturalized U.S. citizen. was charged with acting as an agent of a foreign government (Cuba) and defrauding the U.S. as well as committing wire fraud and making false statements to obtain and use a U.S. passport.[1]
On February 29, Rocha in federal court said he will file a change of plea, indicating he is prepared to plead guilty to two counts of conspiring as a foreign agent, each of which carries a maximum prison sentence of five to 10 years. And his female attorney indicated in court that she and prosecutors have reached an agreement on his possible prison term, which was not specified at this hearing.[2]
This development came just hours after the widow of a prominent Cuban dissident who had been killed in a mysterious car crash filed a wrongful death suit against Rocha.
Rocha’s sentencing is scheduled for April 12, when the plea agreement will be revealed.
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[1] U.S. Indicts and Arrests Victor Emmanuel Rocha on Charges of Acting as a Cuban Undercover Agent, dwkcommentaries.com (Jan. 23, 2024);COMMENT: Developments in Criminal Prosecution of Victor Manuel Rocha, dwkcommentaries.com (Feb. 14, 2024).
[2] Mazzei, Adams & Londono, Former U.S. Ambassador Accused of Being Cuban Agent Signals Guilty Plea, N.Y. Times (Feb. 29, 2024); Wu, Former U.S. ambassador admits to serving as secret agent for Cuba, Wash. Post (Feb. 29, 2024); Weaver, Former U.S. diplomat to plead guilty to acting as a secret agent for the Cuban government, MiAMI HERALD (Feb. 29, 2024); Goodman & Mustian, Former career US diplomat to admit working for decades as a Cuban intelligence agent, apnews.com (Feb. 29, 2024).
Comment: Victor Manuel Rocha Sued for Wrongful Death
On February 29 Victor Manuel Rocha was sued in Florida for the alleged wrongful death of Oswaldo Payá, a prominent Cuban opposition leader, who was killed in a 2012 car crash that allegedly was “a direct and proximate result of [Rocha’s] actions as a covert agent for the Cuban terrorist dictatorship.”
Torres, Widow of dissident killed in Cuba sues former U.S. diplomat who admits being Cuban agent, Miami Herald (Feb. 29, 2024), https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/cuba/article286085171.html#storylink=cpy
COMMENT: Victor Rocha Sentenced to 15 Years Imprisonment and Fine
Pursuant to his guilty plea and agreement with the prosecution, Victor Rocha on April 12th was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment plus a $500,000 fine by a federal court in Miami, Florida. Before the imposition of this sentence, Rocha acknowledged that since he had acted as a secret agent of the Cuban government for 40 years without the prior consent of the U.S. government. He also said, “As a student, I was heavily influenced by the radical politics of the day. Today, I no longer see the world through the radical eyes of my youth.”
At the hearing, U.S. District Court Judge Beth Bloom expressed displeasure at the prosecution’s acceptance at the terms of the sentencing agreement. She said, “Your actions were a direct attack on our democracy and the safety of our citizens. You turned your back on this country, a country that gave you everything.” The Judge three times asked for clarification of why prosecutors were not seeking forfeiture of Rocha’s properties as well as restitution for his victims. The judge also questioned why the Justice Department was not proposing that Rocha be denaturalized as a U.S. citizen after he completed his prison sentence.
And the judge said she would hold another hearing, at a date to be determined, to consider whether restitution should be ordered and whether his U.S. citizenship should be cancelled.
Ex-U.S. ambassador Rocha sentenced to 15 years in prison for working as Cuba covert agent. Miami Herald (April 12, 2024), https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article287592940.html;
Victor Rocha, sentenced to 15 years in prison for spying for the Cuban regime, Diario de Cuba (April 12, 2024), https://diariodecuba.com/cuba/1712958368_54104.html.