The retired United States ambassador to Bolivia, Manuel Rocha, assured that he will plead guilty to conspiracy charges for serving as a secret agent for the Cuban regime for decades.
According to an Associated Press report, the 73-year-old former diplomat stated Thursday before a federal judge that he will admit his guilt in a case that prosecutors have described as one of the most brazen betrayals in the history of the United States foreign service.
This admission could lead to Rocha serving a sentence of between 5 and 10 years in prison for each of the two federal charges of conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government. However, the plea deal still benefits Rocha as it involves dropping 13 additional charges, including wire fraud and false statements.
Prosecutors and Rocha’s defense have already agreed on a sentence, but details were not released during Thursday’s hearing. The sentence is expected to be revealed when Rocha returns to court on April 12.
The case against Rocha
The FBI arrested Rocha in December on accusations that he engaged in “clandestine activity” on behalf of Cuba since at least 1981, the year he joined the U.S. foreign service. Although the specific details of his actions on behalf of the Cuban regime have not been disclosed, federal authorities indicated that he provided false information to U.S. officials and held meetings with Cuban intelligence agents.
Prosecutors’ case rests mainly on confessions made by Rocha himself to an undercover FBI agent posing as a Cuban intelligence agent named “Miguel.”
In the secret recordings, Rocha praised Fidel Castro, called the United States an “enemy,” and took pride in his more than 40 years of service as an undercover agent for Cuba.
