A former U.S. diplomat who served as U.S. ambassador to Bolivia was arrested in a lengthy FBI investigation and accused of secretly working as an agent for the Cuban government. This was reported by the Associated Press, citing two sources familiar with the matter, on condition of anonymity.
Manuel Rocha, 73, was arrested in Miami last Friday, December 1. More details about the case are expected to be released Monday after the criminal case is resolved in court.
An Associated Press source said the Justice Department case accuses Rocha of working to advance the interests of the Cuban government. Federal law requires people who do political work for a foreign government or organization in the United States to register with the Department of Justice. In recent years, the agency has stepped up criminal prosecution of illegal foreign lobbying.
The Justice Department declined to comment. It is unclear whether Rocha is represented by an attorney, and the law firm where he previously worked said it does not represent him. His wife hung up when the AP contacted her.
Manuel Rocha’s 25-year diplomatic career was spent primarily in Latin America during the Cold War. His diplomatic assignments included serving in the U.S. Interests Section in Cuba at a time when Washington did not have full diplomatic relations with the communist government of Fidel Castro.
Born in Colombia, Rocha grew up in a working-class family in New York City and earned several liberal arts degrees from Yale, Harvard, and Georgetown before joining the Foreign Service in 1981.
He directed the United States Foreign Service in Argentina from 1997 to 2000.
Rocha was later appointed ambassador to Bolivia. He then intervened directly in the 2002 presidential race, warning weeks before the vote that the United States would cut off aid to the poor South American country if it elected former coca producer Evo Morales. His actions were widely interpreted as an attempt to maintain American dominance in the region and gave Morales the support of voters.
Rocha also served in Italy, Honduras, Mexico and the Dominican Republic, and served as a Latin America expert for the National Security Council.
After retiring from the State Department, Rocha began a business career in the gold mining and coal export industries.