Would you like to receive notifications on latest updates of the following headlines?

US Jails ex-diplomat Rocha for Roles in Cuba Spying

POSTED ON April 15, 2024 •   Metro      BY Benedicta Bassey
A former United States diplomat, Victor Manuel Rocha/Photo credit: Reuter/Source: Google

A former United States diplomat, Victor Manuel Rocha, has been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment after confessing to working as an agent for Cuba, in what the US Department of Justice has labelled as one of the most extensive and enduring infiltrations of the US government. 

US prosecutors revealed that Rocha supported Cuba’s Communist Party and assisted in the country’s intelligence operations against the United States for over four decades, spanning his 20-year tenure in the US Department of State.

“Today’s plea brings an end to more than four decades of betrayal and deceit by Mr. Rocha,” stated David Newman, a senior national security official at the US Justice Department during a press conference in Miami, who further said that “for most of his life, Mr Rocha lived a lie.”

Rocha, aged 73, was apprehended at his Miami residence in December 2023 on charges of engaging in covert activities for Cuba since at least 1981, when he commenced his diplomatic career. Allegations against him include liaising with Cuban intelligence agents and providing false information to US government officials regarding his contacts.

Undercover FBI agents, posing as representatives of Cuba’s General Directorate of Intelligence, interacted with Rocha multiple times between 2022 and 2023.

During these encounters, Rocha confessed to his decades-long collaboration with Cuba. Recorded conversations reveal Rocha’s admiration for the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro and his boasting about serving as a Cuban informant within US foreign policy circles for over 40 years.

READ ALSO
Police Unveils New Strategies to Combat Gunmen and Restore Public Confidence
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 24, 2025 0

ANAMBRA, Nigeria - In its continued efforts to boost security and regain public trust, the Anambra S...

READ ALSO
Nigeria's Gemstone Potential: A Deep Dive into 10 Rare Minerals and Their Regions of Origin
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 24, 2025 0

Nigeria is making waves with a revolutionary $400 million Foreign Direct Investment dedicated to cre...

READ ALSO
EFCC Charges Businessman, Company with $75,000 Fraud
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 24, 2025 0

A businessman, Peter Otomewu, along with his company, Pebeto Enerji Limited, was brought before the...

READ ALSO
French Police Arrest 12 over Alleged Drugging of Women at Music Festival
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 24, 2025 0

French police have arrested 12 individuals suspected of drugging female festivalgoers during the ann...

READ ALSO
EFCC Urges Students to Shun Internet Fraud, Embrace Positive Online Ventures
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 23, 2025 0

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has called on Ni...

READ ALSO
Abia Govt Vows Crackdown After Cult Clash Leaves One Dead
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 23, 2025 0

ABIA, Nigeria - A suspected cultist was shot dead while another was apprehended following a violent...

READ ALSO
40-Foot Truck Crushes Minibus in Lagos, One Dead
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 22, 2025 0

LAGOS, Nigeria - A 40-foot container truck tragically crushed a commercial minibus on Sunday along O...

READ ALSO
Nigerian Navy Dismantles Illegal Oil Refining Site in Obotebe
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 22, 2025 0

DELTA, Nigeria - The Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) in Delta has reported the destruction of a site used f...

OUR CHANNELS:

Nigeria's Gemstone Potential: A Deep Dive into 10 Rare Minerals and Their Regions of Origin
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 26, 2025 0

Nigeria is making waves with a revolutionary $400 million Foreign Direct Investment dedicated to cre...


IPMAN Links Rising Petrol Prices to Crude Oil Costs and Market Dynamics
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 26, 2025 0

ABUJA, Nigeria (NAN) - The Public Relations Officer of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Associati...


EFCC Charges Businessman, Company with $75,000 Fraud
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 26, 2025 0

A businessman, Peter Otomewu, along with his company, Pebeto Enerji Limited, was brought before the...


Osimhen Willing to Join Manchester United for Under £200,000 a Week
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 26, 2025 0

Victor Osimhen is reportedly willing to accept a weekly wage of just under £200,000 at Manches...


Trump Announces Iran-Israel Ceasefire Deal, Tehran Denies Formal Agreement
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 26, 2025 0

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that Iran and Israel have agreed to a “comple...


French Police Arrest 12 over Alleged Drugging of Women at Music Festival
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 26, 2025 0

French police have arrested 12 individuals suspected of drugging female festivalgoers during the ann...


NATO Warns Iran Against Nuclear Weapon Development Amid Rising Tensions
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 24, 2025 0

In a renewed effort to curb escalating violence in the Middle East, the North Atlantic Treaty Organi...


Mertens Announces Retirement from Football, Cites Age and Fatigue
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 24, 2025 0

Belgian football star Dries Mertens has officially announced his retirement from professional footba...


Qatar Closes Airspace After Iranian Strike on U.S. Base in Doha
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 26, 2025 0

In a swift move to safeguard lives and property, the government of Qatar has closed its airspace fol...


Tinubu Launches National Mechanised Farming Programme to Tackle Food Insecurity
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 26, 2025 0

In a bid to combat food insecurity and encourage youth participation in farming, President Bola Tinu...


More Articles

Load more...

Menu