Former US ambassador alleged to have spied for Cuba for four decades

Former US ambassador alleged to have spied for Cuba for four decades

According to the Justice Department, Rocha admitted his espionage activities to an undercover FBI investigator posing as a Cuban agent. During the meetings with him, Rocha consistently behaved like a representative of Cuba, referred to the USA as an "enemy", spoke of Cuba as "us" and praised the late Cuban head of state Fidel Castro. He went on to describe his own work for Cuba as a "direct hit".

The native Colombian, who later became a naturalized citizen, began his career in the US State Department in 1981 and worked in the US diplomatic service in the Cuban capital Havana, among other places. Under President Bill Clinton, Rocha was a member of the National Security Council from 1994 to 1995 and then Ambassador to Bolivia under Clinton and his successor George W. Bush from 2000 to 2002.

During his tenure, Rocha had access to confidential and classified information, the US Department of Justice said. He was also in a position to influence US foreign policy, the Justice Department said.

Rocha was to be brought before a judge in the US port city of Miami on Monday. He faces charges including conspiracy to benefit a foreign government, acting as an unauthorized agent for a foreign government and obtaining a US passport under false pretenses.

Justice Minister Garland declared that anyone who, as a US government official, abuses the trust of US citizens in the way that Rocha did is committing a crime that his authority will deal with "with full force".

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1. Rocha's espionage activities for Cuba spanned over four decades.
2. The FBI investigation uncovered that Bill Clinton's former ambassador to Bolivia was spying for Cuba for Decades.
3. The FBI undercover operation revealed that Rocha, an earlier US State Department employee, was working as a spy for the Cuban Ministry of Justice.
4. During his tenure as US ambassador to Bolivia, Rocha had access to classified information for Decade.
5. Under the Clinton and Bush administrations, Rocha served as the US Ambassador to Bolivia for Four years.
6. The FBI accused Rocha of spying for Cuba, a charge he faced in a US court as early as Monday.
7. Rocha, who was a member of the National Security Council during Bill Clinton's presidency, was accused of acting as an unauthorized agent for Cuba for Decades.
8. The US Justice Department accused the former US ambassador of obtaining a US passport under false pretenses in the 1980s, adecades ago.

Source: www.stern.de