A former U.S. ambassador to Bolivia with experience in diplomacy has been arrested as part of a massive FBI counterintelligence investigation. Allegations have been made against the individual regarding their covert actions as an agent of the Cuban government.
The man has been identified as Manuel Rocha. He was taken into custody in Miami on Friday as a result of a criminal complaint. It is anticipated that more details about the case will be revealed at a Monday court hearing.
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As per reports, Rocha is accused in the Justice Department complaint of advancing the objectives of the Cuban government.
Who is Manuel Rocha?
Manuel Rocha is 73 years old. Born in 1950 in Cuba, Manuel Rocha immigrated to the US at the age of ten together with his family. He graduated from Georgetown University Law Center and the University of Miami.
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Rocha joined the US Foreign Service in 1976 and served in several diplomatic positions throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Notably, when diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba were broken in 1961, he oversaw the restricted consular affairs operation in Havana, Cuba, serving as the Deputy Principal Officer of the U.S. Interests Section from 1989 to 1991.
Rocha was nominated Ambassador to Bolivia by President Bill Clinton in 1994, and he served in that capacity until 1998. Throughout his term, Rocha made a concerted effort to improve Bolivian-American relations. Furthermore, he was a key negotiator for the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act, which the US Congress successfully passed in 2002.
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After leaving the Foreign Service, Rocha started advising on matters about Latin America. Additionally, he served on the boards of other organizations, including the Council of the Americas and the Cuba Transition Project, lending his knowledge to them.