ISTANBUL, May 9 — US federal prosecutors are seeking to strip the citizenship of former US Ambassador Victor Manuel Rocha, who is currently in prison, alleging that he obtained it through deception while secretly working for Cuba for more than 50 years, Anadolu Ajansi reported, citing NBC News.
ISTANBUL, May 9 — US federal prosecutors are seeking to strip the citizenship of former US Ambassador Victor Manuel Rocha, who is currently in prison, alleging that he obtained it through deception while secretly working for Cuba for more than 50 years, Anadolu Ajansi reported, citing NBC News.
A filing in a Miami federal court claims Rocha lied about his political affiliations and any criminal conduct during his 1977–1978 naturalisation process, while covertly serving Cuban interests, according to NBC News.
Rocha, born in Colombia, was charged in December 2023 with conspiring to act as a foreign agent and defraud the United States. He later pleaded guilty in 2024 to acting as an illegal foreign agent and fraud, with a judge stating he had “betrayed the United States” over several decades.
Court documents indicate Rocha admitted under a plea deal that he began working for Cuban intelligence in 1973, before becoming a US citizen, and later used his diplomatic roles to advance Havana’s interests.
US Attorney Jason A. Reding Quinones said in a statement that Rocha “was not a low-level operative” but a former US ambassador and senior official who secretly served Cuba for decades. He added that Rocha obtained citizenship “through lies, concealment, and betrayal,” arguing that someone who secretly serves Cuba should not retain US citizenship, even while imprisoned.
Rocha is currently serving a 15-year sentence in a federal prison in Florida.
Prosecutors allege he was recruited in Chile in 1973 and later studied at Harvard and Georgetown, credentials they say supported his covert activities. He joined the US State Department in 1981, later serving in Honduras and at the US Embassy in the Dominican Republic.
Authorities also said Rocha was recorded in meetings with an undercover FBI agent in 2022 and 2023, during which he allegedly referred to the US as “the enemy” and described Cuba as “we,” while praising Fidel Castro and referring to Cuban intelligence contacts as “compañeros.” — Bernama-Anadolu
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