Legal professional Common Merrick Garland referred to as the Rocha case “one of many highest-reaching and longest-lasting infiltrations of the USA authorities by a overseas agent,” including that in these secretly recorded conversations, Rocha repeatedly referred to the USA as “the enemy.”
The information of Rocha’s alleged duplicity surprised his pals and colleagues in U.S. diplomatic and intelligence circles.
“I by no means suspected, by no means had the slightest suspicion that he may be residing a double life just like the charging doc describes,” stated Brian Latell, a former senior CIA intelligence official who met Rocha within the early Eighties.
“I feel I knew him in addition to anybody else, and I by no means thought it was doable. I feel Manuel was somebody with many extra skills, and plenty of extra aspects, than frankly I had ever imagined, whilst shut as we had been for thus a few years,” Latell stated. “He was clearly doing very helpful work for the Cubans.”
Former FBI agent Peter Lapp stated the Rocha case is “very disturbing and regarding” due to the quantity and varieties of intelligence Rocha might entry. Lapp — whose ebook “Queen of Cuba” recounts a case he investigated towards a special Cuban spy, U.S. protection analyst Ana Montes — stated the court docket papers in Rocha’s case recommend that the FBI used the secret agent to get Rocha speaking, and that he apparently talked himself into legal prices.
“That’s what the bureau appears to be making an attempt to do with the Rocha case, and he simply didn’t chew absolutely,” Lapp stated.
That approach was akin to the FBI’s profitable work towards Kendall Myers, one other former State Division worker who was coaxed into admitting at the very least a few of his crimes throughout an undercover FBI operation, Lapp stated. With out such admissions, it’s uncertain prosecutors might deliver prices over suspicious conduct that occurred so a few years in the past, he stated.
Myers, who admitted to useless drops and transferring info, was charged with espionage and sentenced to life in jail. Rocha, in distinction, is charged with conspiring to behave as an agent of a overseas authorities with out notifying the Justice Division, performing as an agent of a overseas authorities with out such notification; and mendacity to acquire a passport.
The legal grievance doesn’t accuse him of particular acts of espionage. He faces as much as 10 years in jail if convicted of essentially the most critical cost.
At a quick court docket look in Miami on Monday, Rocha was ordered to stay in custody pending additional hearings. His lawyer didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Although a small nation, Cuba has racked up some intelligence victories towards the USA by discovering individuals motivated to help the communist authorities towards its capitalist and far bigger adversary to the north.
“Cuba is so good at discovering people who aren’t motivated by cash,” stated Lapp. “They discover individuals who have a visceral empathy for what Cuba is making an attempt to do in Latin America and Central America, and people individuals are morally aligned with them.”
Court docket papers filed in Miami describe conferences through which Rocha mentioned his secret work for Cuba, together with one the place he stated that the “Direccion” — a reference to that nation’s Common Directorate of Intelligence — “requested me … to guide a standard life.”
Rocha allegedly stated he adopted that instruction by making a public repute as “a proper wing individual,” when he in reality was dedicated to the reason for communist Cuba. He additionally allegedly spoke with pleasure of how a lot he was capable of damage the USA on Cuba’s behalf, saying “What we’ve got accomplished … it’s huge … Greater than a grand slam.”
At one secretly recorded assembly between Rocha and the secret agent, the diplomat allegedly described how he grew to become a State Division worker: “I went little by little. … It was a really meticulous course of. … I knew precisely how you can do it and clearly the Direccion accompanied me. … They knew that I knew how you can do it.”
Rocha was born in Colombia and have become a U.S. citizen in 1978. He joined the State Division in 1981. The legal grievance towards him says that at the very least as early as that yr, he “secretly supported the Republic of Cuba and its clandestine intelligence-gathering mission towards the USA by serving as a covert agent of Cuba’s intelligence companies.”
Authorities say Rocha pushed false and deceptive info throughout the U.S. authorities and met with Cuban intelligence operatives. Within the secretly recorded conversations with the undercover FBI agent, Rocha allegedly insisted he was nonetheless dedicated to the revolutionary reason for communist Cuba, in keeping with the court docket papers unsealed Monday. Rocha’s arrest late final week was first reported by the Related Press.
Over time, Rocha rose by means of the ranks of the State Division to serve in positions on the U.S. embassies within the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Mexico and Argentina earlier than ascending to extra delicate authorities posts. From mid-1994 to mid-1995, Rocha served on the Nationwide Safety Council, with a portfolio that included Cuba. From there he labored for the State Division in Cuba.
Rocha was sworn in because the U.S. ambassador to Bolivia in July 2000, in keeping with his State Division biography. He served in that position for about two years. That job and others gave him entry to U.S. authorities secrets and techniques, together with categorised info. Authorities say Rocha repeatedly lied when answering safety questions that decided whether or not he might hold these jobs.
“Those that have the privilege of serving within the authorities of the USA are given an infinite quantity of belief by the general public we serve,” Garland instructed reporters. “To betray that belief by falsely pledging loyalty to the USA whereas serving a overseas energy is against the law that can be met with the total power of the Justice Division.”
From 2006 to 2012, Rocha served as an adviser to army officers at U.S. Southern Command — part of the army whose space of accountability consists of Cuba.
John Feeley, a former U.S. ambassador to Panama who earlier had labored underneath Rocha on the embassy within the Dominican Republic, described him as a captivating, assured and profitable Latin America skilled — referred to as a “girls man … anyone who was going locations.” Rocha’s arrest and prices are “an actual John le Carré story,” Feeley stated, referring to the late spy novelist.
Rocha and Feeley met once more in 2018, after they had been each retired, Feeley stated. “He had gone full-on Donald Trump,” stated Feeley. “He was a MAGA Republican.” In hindsight, Feeley added, “it was an ideal cowl.”
Judith Bryan, who labored on the U.S. Curiosity Part of the Swiss Embassy in Havana when Rocha was a senior diplomat there within the late Nineteen Nineties, stated she “by no means would have imagined in my wildest goals this was occurring.”
On the time, workers members on the U.S. mission had been making an attempt to create bridges between civil society teams in Cuba and the USA, stated Bryan, who served as a deputy public affairs officer on the mission. She stated Rocha was “very supportive of that official coverage” however didn’t appear sympathetic to Fidel Castro’s authorities.
The charging paperwork don’t describe how the FBI got here to suspect Rocha — solely that the company obtained a tip about him earlier than November 2022.
Espionage and intrigue, a lot of it centered in Miami, have roiled the U.S.-Cuba relationship since Cuba grew to become a communist state after Castro’s 1959 takeover. Rocha’s arrest is unlikely to considerably have an effect on relations between Washington and Havana, which have been at a low level because the Trump administration.
President Barack Obama reestablished diplomatic ties with the nation after a break of greater than a half-century and used government energy to bypass many financial restrictions and elevate a long-standing designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism.
Lots of the lifted sanctions had been reimposed by President Donald Trump, who additionally reinstated the terrorism sponsor designation a number of days earlier than leaving workplace on grounds that Cuba had refused to extradite a number of Colombian guerrilla leaders sought by Bogota’s then-right-wing authorities. Colombia’s present leftist chief, President Gustavo Petro, rescinded the extradition requests final yr and has reopened Cuban-sponsored peace negotiations with the group, the Nationwide Liberation Military.
President Biden as a candidate pledged to return to the Obama-era insurance policies however has made few strikes to take action. Though some restrictions have been eased, permitting extra People to go to Cuba and allowing extra commerce, Biden has retained the terrorism designation and criticized the federal government in Havana for imprisoning political activists.
The Cuban authorities made no quick touch upon Rocha’s arrest.
Rocha had barely any involvement in electoral politics in the USA, public data present. He contributed to only one federal candidate final yr, sending $750 to Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.), in keeping with filings with the Federal Election Fee.
Salazar seized on his arrest to painting Cuba as “a hazard to our nationwide safety,” whereas additionally taking a swipe at Democrats in a submit on X, previously referred to as Twitter, writing, “Biden administration, get up!” A spokesperson for Salazar stated the congresswoman had no relationship with Rocha and had instructed her marketing campaign to return the cash.
Sheridan reported from Mexico Metropolis. Isaac Stanley-Becker contributed to this report.