Manuel Rocha, the former US ambassador to Bolivia, who is facing charges of acting as a secret foreign agent of Cuba, expressed his intention to plead guilty to the charges, as indicated in his court docket on Thursday.
The 73-year-old Rocha is accused of multiple charges, including acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government, wire fraud, and making false statements to investigators.
Prosecutors allege that Rocha, a former American diplomat, served as a “covert agent of Cuba’s intelligence services” over several decades.
In a Miami hearing on Thursday, Rocha and prosecutors jointly stated that “the Defendant will be changing his plea,” according to the court docket. Rocha had previously pleaded not guilty earlier this month.
A former U.S. diplomat (Credits: Then24)
The court record does not specify which charges Rocha plans to plead guilty to, and his next court appearance is scheduled for April 12.
Manuel Rocha held the position of US ambassador to Bolivia from 2000 to 2002 and served as the deputy principal officer of the US Interests Section in Cuba during the 1990s. Additionally, he worked for the US Embassy in the Dominican Republic in the 1980s and the US Consulate in Italy.
Rocha held various roles in US embassies in Mexico and Argentina, with his position as the political officer at the US Embassy in the Dominican Republic giving him “special responsibility” for Cuba, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors allege that Rocha, in meetings with an undercover FBI employee posing as a member of Cuban intelligence, consistently referred to the US as “the enemy” and praised Fidel Castro, the Cuban revolutionary and politician.
The court proceedings will shed more light on the specific charges and details surrounding Rocha’s alleged activities as a secret foreign agent.
