Current:Home > ScamsFormer career US diplomat admits secretly spying for Cuban intelligence for decades-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Former career US diplomat admits secretly spying for Cuban intelligence for decades
View Date:2024-12-23 18:41:03
MIAMI (AP) — A former U.S. ambassador said Thursday he will plead guilty to charges of serving as a secret agent for communist Cuba going back decades, bringing an unexpectedly fast resolution to a case prosecutors described as one of the most brazen betrayals in the history of the U.S. foreign service.
Manuel Rocha, 73, told a federal judge he would admit to federal counts of conspiring to act as an agent of a foreign government, charges that could land him behind bars for several years. His defense lawyer indicated that prosecutors have agreed upon a sentence, but the length of that term was not disclosed in court Thursday.
He is due back in court April 12.
“I am in agreement,” Rocha said when asked by U.S. District Court Judge Beth Bloom if he wished to change his plea to guilty.
Prosecutors alleged that Rocha engaged in “clandestine activity” on Cuba’s behalf since at least 1981 — the year he joined the U.S. foreign service — including by meeting with Cuban intelligence operatives and providing false information to U.S. government officials about his contacts.
Federal authorities have said little about exactly what Rocha did to assist Cuba while working for the State Department and in a lucrative post-government career that included a stint as a special adviser to the commander of U.S. Southern Command.
Rocha, whose two-decade career as a U.S. diplomat included top posts in Bolivia, Argentina and the U.S. Interests Section in Havana, was arrested by the FBI at his Miami home in December.
Instead, the case relies largely on what prosecutors say were Rocha’s own admissions, made over the past year to an undercover FBI agent posing as a Cuban intelligence operative named “Miguel.”
Rocha praised the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro as “Comandante,” branded the U.S. the “enemy” and bragged about his service for more than 40 years as a Cuban mole in the heart of U.S. foreign policy circles, the complaint says.
“What we have done … it’s enormous … more than a Grand Slam,” he was quoted as saying at one of several secretly recorded conversations.
veryGood! (252)
Related
- Mississippi man charged with shooting 5 people after not being allowed into party
- Raymond Patterson Bio
- Raymond Patterson: Investment Opportunities in Stock Splitting
- Green agendas clash in Nevada as company grows rare plant to help it survive effects of a mine
- Manhattan rooftop fire sends plumes of dark smoke into skyline
- Cucumbers sold at Walmart stores in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana recalled due to listeria
- Alaska judge who resigned in disgrace didn’t disclose conflicts in 23 cases, investigation finds
- Prime Day 2024 Last Chance Deal: Get 57% Off Yankee Candles While You Still Can
- MVSU football player killed, driver injured in crash after police chase
- People across the nation have lost jobs after posts about Trump shooting
Ranking
- Federal judge orders Oakland airport to stop using ‘San Francisco’ in name amid lawsuit
- Video shows Wisconsin police dramatically chase suspects attempting to flee in a U-Haul
- Video shows bear walk up to front door of Florida home: Watch
- Jagged Edge singer Brandon Casey reveals severe injuries from car accident
- Jason Statham Shares Rare Family Photos of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Their Kids on Vacation
- Almost 3.5 tons of hot dogs shipped to hotels and restaurants are recalled
- Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo effective 1-2-3 punch at center for Team USA
- Appeals court affirms Mississippi’s ban on voting after some felonies, including timber theft
Recommendation
-
Watch a rescuer’s cat-like reflexes pluck a kitten from mid-air after a scary fall
-
Joe Jonas Details Writing His “Most Personal” Music Nearly a Year After Sophie Turner Split
-
Rattlesnake 'mega-den' goes live on webcam that captures everyday lives of maligned reptile
-
6 people found dead in Bangkok Grand Hyatt hotel show signs of cyanide poisoning, hospital says
-
Threat closes Spokane City Hall and cancels council meeting in Washington state
-
Montana Is a Frontier for Deep Carbon Storage, and the Controversies Surrounding the Potential Climate Solution
-
Justin Long Admits He S--t the Bed Next to Wife Kate Bosworth in TMI Confession
-
Sheryl Lee Ralph overjoyed by Emmy Awards nomination: 'Never gets old'