Man Who Spent 40 Years Spying for Cuba Could Lose American Citizenship Under New DOJ Action

Former diplomat Victor Manuel Rocha, who was convicted of spying for Cuba, might lose his U.S. citizenship. On May 8, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it had filed a civil denaturalization complaint against the 75-year-old Rocha.

Rocha, originally from Colombia, became a U.S. citizen in 1978. By that time, he had already been spying for Cuba for five years. According to the DOJ, Rocha’s citizenship should be revoked as he lied and concealed facts on his naturalization paperwork.

“[Rocha claimed] he was not affiliated with the Communist Party of Cuba; he had not advocated, believed in, or knowingly supported and furthered the interests of Communism; and he believed in the U.S. Constitution and the form of government of the U.S. None of these were true,” the DOJ said.

Rocha has already pleaded guilty to working as a secret agent for the Cuban government for over 40 years. He is widely seen as one of the most significant and longest-serving foreign agents to infiltrate the U.S. government. Rocha was recruited by Cuban intelligence in 1973 while visiting Chile as a young Yale University student.

Despite secretly being a foreign agent, he was able to join the U.S. State Department in 1981. He eventually rose through the ranks and held several prominent positions in the department. He served as U.S. ambassador to Bolivia from 2000 to 2002. Rocha also held top posts in Argentina and Mexico and served on the National Security Council at the White House.

In 2022, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) finally received a tip suggesting Rocha had ties to Cuban intelligence. An undercover FBI agent posing as a Cuban intelligence representative then contacted Rocha.

The former diplomat met with the agent multiple times in 2022 and 2023. During the meetings, he referred to the U.S. as ‘the enemy’ and confessed that his work for Cuba was ‘more than a grand slam.’ In December 2023, federal officials arrested him and charged him with acting as an illegal agent of the Cuban government.

In 2024, he pleaded guilty and received a 15-year prison sentence. If his citizenship is revoked, he would lose the legal protections and privileges granted to U.S. citizens, including the right to travel as an American and the ability to vote or hold public office.

Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate emphasized the importance of revoking Rocha’s citizenship in an official statement and said, “Under no circumstances should an agent of a foreign adversary be permitted to hold the title of American citizen.”

“Our mission is clear: to root out these fraudsters and preserve the sanctity of the naturalization process for those who adhere to our laws. Any individual who lied during the naturalization process to gain a foothold in this country will be met with the full weight of the Department of Justice,” Shumate added.