DOJ Seeks to Revoke Citizenship of Former U.S. Ambassador Convicted of Spying for Cuba
Prosecutors say Manuel Rocha concealed his Cuba ties when naturalizing, and a 15-year prison sentence already followed his espionage plea.
- On Thursday, federal prosecutors in Miami filed a civil complaint seeking to strip Ambassador Manuel Rocha of his U.S. citizenship, alleging he fraudulently obtained naturalization while secretly working as a Cuban agent.
- Court documents allege Rocha lied under oath during his 1977 and 1978 naturalization process by denying Communist Party ties, despite having secretly begun serving as a Cuban intelligence agent five years earlier in 1973.
- Currently serving a 15-year federal prison sentence, the 75-year-old former diplomat admitted he "betrayed the United States" for more than 50 years while holding prestigious government positions including ambassador to Bolivia.
- The Justice Department significantly increased its focus on denaturalization cases in recent years, issuing an internal memo directing prosecutors to prioritize individuals who "pose a potential danger to national security" through espionage.
- Federal officials now seek to cancel Rocha's certificate of naturalization and require him to surrender all U.S. passports, completing what prosecutors describe as one of the longest-running betrayals in foreign service history.
51 Articles
51 Articles
One of Cuba’s most prolific spies: US moves to strip citizenship of ex‑diplomat convicted as intelligence agent
ISTANBUL, May 9 — US federal prosecutors are seeking to revoke the American citizenship of imprisoned former US Ambassador Victor Manuel Rocha, claiming he obtained it under false pretences while secretly serving Cuba’s interests for over five decades, Anadolu Ajansi reported, citing NBC News.The Miami federal court filing alleges that Rocha falsely denied Communist ties and criminal conduct during his 1977-1978 naturalisation process while cove…
Former US Ambassador Who Spied for Cuba Is Among 12 People Facing Loss of Citizenship
A native Colombian convicted of serving as a spy for Cuba while also serving as a U.S. ambassador was one of 12 people the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) sought to denaturalize this week. Federal authorities filed a civil denaturalization complaint May 7 against Victor Manuel Rocha, 75, in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida based on his admission during criminal proceedings that he started spying for Cuba in 1973 before he w…
DOJ Moves to Strip Citizenship From Cuban Spy
The Department of Justice (DOJ) moved to strip the citizenship from a former ambassador who was working for Cuba. According to the DOJ, Victor Manuel Rocha, a native of Colombia, served as an unregistered agent for Cuba. The United States is now seeking an order revoking Rocha’s naturalization. When he applied for naturalization beginning in 1973, he “represented under penalty of perjury that he had not committed crimes for which he had not been…
Justice Department sues to revoke U.S. citizenship of convicted Cuban spy
The U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil denaturalization complaint yesterday against Victor Manuel Rocha in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Rocha is a native of Colombia who was convicted of serving as an…
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