Former US Ambassador to Argentina, Víctor Rocha, to Plead Guilty for Spying for Cuba

Victor Manuel Rocha, a former American diplomat who served as ambassador in Argentina and other locations, announced on Thursday that he has reached an agreement and will plead guilty in Miami to charges of spying for the Cuban government and defrauding the US government.

73-year-old Rocha confessed to a federal judge in Miami that he will concede to federal conspiracy charges to act as an agent of a foreign government, crimes that could see him imprisoned for several years. His defense attorney noted that prosecutors have agreed on a sentence, although the length of it is yet to be disclosed. This information will be revealed in a court session on April 12.

“I am in an agreement”, Rocha informed Judge Beth Bloom. A few weeks prior, Rocha had pleaded not guilty, but has since agreed to admit to the charges in one of the most significant cases of deception involving American diplomacy and secret services. Whether the agreement includes Rocha revealing any secrets of the Cuban regime is unknown and may never be disclosed.

Rocha spent decades working in the United States Department of State and served in Buenos Aires from 1997 to 2000 as the highest representative of the United States. Despite the embassy lacking an official envoy, his title was Chargé d’Affaires. After his tenure in Buenos Aires, he served as ambassador to Bolivia before leaving diplomacy to engage in private business.

Rocha made headlines when he was arrested in Miami on December 1, following a comprehensive FBI investigation that included an undercover agent acting as a Cuban spy and recording conversations with Rocha.

A few days later, a Miami grand jury indicted Rocha for defrauding his country and acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government, a revelation that sent shockwaves through American diplomacy.

“This action uncovers one of the most extensive and long-lasting infiltrations of the United States government by a foreign agent,” commented Attorney General Merrick Garland following Rocha’s arrest.

“We claim that, for over 40 years, Victor Manuel Rocha served as an agent of the Cuban government, acquiring positions within the United States government that granted him access to non-public information and the ability to affect the foreign policy of the United States,” Garland added.

The criminal complaint does not provide details about what information Rocha could have leaked to Cuba or how it might have influenced US policy. According to the indictment, Rocha possessed high-level security clearances, giving him access to top-secret information. Before his tenure in Argentina and Bolivia, Rocha held the second highest position at the US embassy in Cuba.

The Foreign Agents Registration Act requires those working under the control of foreign governments to notify the U.S. Attorney General’s office. Rocha also faces charges of making false statements to obtain and use a US passport.

Rocha remains incarcerated in a federal prison. Recently, it was revealed that the former diplomat transferred the title of four luxury apartments in a Miami condominium, valued at $4 million, entirely to his wife, Karla Wittkop Rocha. According to America TV, the transfer occurred on February 8, although the documents seemingly were signed in January.