US ex-Ambassador bags 15 years jail term for spying on American govt

Victor Manuel Rocha, the former United States Ambassador to Bolivia, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for spying on the US government for Cuba for over a decade.

Rocha, who served as ambassador to Bolivia from 2000 to 2002, engaged in espionage activities against the US government on behalf of Cuba. Miami-based US District Judge Beth Bloom handed down the sentence on Friday, following Rocha’s guilty plea on two counts, including acting as an agent of a foreign government.

In addition to the prison term, Rocha was fined $500,000, the maximum penalty allowed. His indictment in December was described by Attorney General Merrick Garland as “one of the highest-reaching and longest-lasting infiltrations of the US government by a foreign agent.”

Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen commented on the case, stating, “Today’s plea and sentencing brings to an end more than four decades of betrayal and deceit by the defendant.” Olsen highlighted Rocha’s admission to acting as a Cuban government agent while holding various positions of trust within the US government, labeling it a profound betrayal of the American people and an acknowledgment that his allegiance to the United States was fraudulent.

Throughout his more than 20 years in public service, Rocha held high-ranking positions in several embassies and even the White House during the Bill Clinton administration.