(TheConservativeTimes.org) – A former United States diplomat, Manuel Rocha, admitted to a judge on Thursday that he would plead guilty to charges that he was working as a Cuban spy.
Manuel Rocha is 73 years old and started working at the US State Department in 1981 as a desk officer who handled relations with Honduras. He’s worked in many different positions, such as being White House Security Council, the U.S. Military’s Southern Command, and the Justice Department.
Following his roles in the United States government, he was arrested in December 2023 on accusations that he was a part of “clandestine activity” for Cuba since at least 1981 when he started his career as a United States Diplomat.
Rocha was arrested after an undercover FBI agent posed as a representative of Cuba’s General Directorate of Intelligence who met with Rocha on multiple occasions between 2022 and 2023. Rocha spoke about his work for Cuba and he even praised Fidel Castro. He bragged about his service as a Cuban mole in the United States.
Rocha was quoted saying, “What we have done … it’s enormous … more than a Grand Slam.”
In February Rocha pled not guilty, however when he was asked by Judge Beth Bloom if he wanted to change his plea, he stated that he would plead guilty and he was “in agreement.” Because of his guilty plea, the prosecutors will drop counts of wire fraud and making false statements.
Some experts have said that arrests like these help to determine Cuba’s internal affairs in U.S. foreign policy circles. Cuba and the United States have had a damaged relationship for decades now. The initial event to strain their relationship was when Castro overthrew the US-backed Dictatorship.
Joe Biden has lifted some sanctions that were put on Cuba by Trump, however many others are still in place and they are hurting the Cuban economy.
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