Overview

• Manuel Rocha, a former U.S. ambassador to Bolivia and National Security Council official, has been charged with secretly acting as an agent for the Cuban government for over 40 years.
• Rocha allegedly began his covert work for Cuba in 1981, the same year he joined the U.S. Department of State, and continued even after his departure from the federal government.
• Rocha was arrested at his Miami home on Dec. 1 and faces multiple federal charges, including acting as an agent of a foreign government and using a passport obtained by false statement.
• During a series of meetings in 2022 and 2023 with an undercover FBI agent posing as a Cuban intelligence representative, Rocha allegedly admitted to his long-term work for Cuba.
• Rocha's roles in the U.S. government provided him access to nonpublic information, including classified information, and the ability to affect U.S. foreign policy.