{"id":2114822,"date":"2023-12-03T20:31:01","date_gmt":"2023-12-04T01:31:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-us-ambassador-arrested-in-florida-accused-of-serving-as-an-agent-of-cuba-associated-press\/"},"modified":"2023-12-03T20:35:23","modified_gmt":"2023-12-04T01:35:23","slug":"former-us-ambassador-arrested-in-florida-accused-of-serving-as-an-agent-of-cuba-associated-press","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-us-ambassador-arrested-in-florida-accused-of-serving-as-an-agent-of-cuba-associated-press\/","title":{"rendered":"Ex-US ambassador nabbed in Florida, charged as Cuban agent: AP"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fformer-us-ambassador-arrested-in-florida-accused-of-serving-as-an-agent-of-cuba-associated-press%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2114822&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Former U.S.\u2062 Ambassador to\u2063 Bolivia Arrested \u2063in FBI Investigation<\/h2>\n<p>A former\u2063 American diplomat,\u2062 Manuel Rocha,\u2064 has\u200c been arrested in \u200bMiami as part\u200c of a \u2062long-running FBI \u200ccounterintelligence investigation. \u2062Rocha, who served as U.S. ambassador \u200cto Bolivia, is accused\u2062 of secretly acting as an agent for the\u200c Cuban government.\u200c The arrest\u200d took place\u200b on Friday, and more details about the case are expected \u200bto be revealed \u2062at a \u200ccourt appearance on Monday.<\/p>\n<h3>Allegations of Working\u200d for \u2063Cuba&#8217;s Government<\/h3>\n<p>The Justice Department case against Rocha accuses him of promoting the interests of the\u2062 Cuban government. Under federal law, individuals engaged in \u200dpolitical activities on behalf \u2064of a foreign government or entity within the U.S. must register with\u200d the Justice Department. In recent years, the \u200cdepartment has intensified\u2062 its enforcement of illicit foreign lobbying.<\/p>\n<p>The Justice Department\u200d has declined \u200dto\u2062 comment on the case, and \u200bit remains unclear\u2062 whether\u200d Rocha has legal representation. \u200bThe law firm\u200d where he previously worked has stated that they are \u200dnot representing him,\u200b and his wife hung up when contacted by the\u200c Associated \u2062Press.<\/p>\n<h3>A Diplomatic Career Spanning Decades<\/h3>\n<p>Rocha&#8217;s \u200bdiplomatic career spanned \u206225 years, serving under both Democratic and Republican administrations. Much of his tenure was in \u200cLatin America \u200bduring the Cold War, a \u2064period marked by\u200b intense U.S. political and \u200dmilitary \u2063involvement. He \u200dheld various diplomatic postings, including a position at the U.S. Interests Section in Cuba when diplomatic relations with Fidel Castro&#8217;s communist \u200cgovernment were limited.<\/p>\n<p>Born\u200c in Colombia and raised in a\u2064 working-class\u200c home \u2062in \u200cNew York City,\u2063 Rocha obtained liberal arts degrees \u200bfrom prestigious institutions such as Yale, Harvard, and \u200dGeorgetown\u200b before \u200cjoining the\u2064 foreign service in 1981.<\/p>\n<h3>Involvement in Political Crises<\/h3>\n<p>During his career, Rocha served\u200d as the top U.S. diplomat in Argentina during a \u2064tumultuous \u2062period. He played a\u2062 role\u200c in the country&#8217;s political crisis triggered by a currency stabilization program \u200bbacked by the \u200dU.S. that eventually led to five presidents in two weeks.<\/p>\n<p>As ambassador to Bolivia, Rocha directly intervened \u200cin the 2002 presidential\u2063 race, warning the electorate that electing former coca grower Evo\u2062 Morales \u200dwould <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-dances-around-biden-concern-about-speaker-fight\/\" title=\"White House avoids addressing Biden's speaker dispute.\">jeopardize \u200cfuture aid<\/a> from \u2062the United States. Despite his efforts, Morales was \u2063elected, and\u200c Rocha&#8217;s successor was expelled by the leftist leader for inciting &#8220;civil war.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>A Second Career and Recent\u200d Roles<\/h3>\n<p>After \u2064retiring\u200c from the State Department, Rocha embarked on a second career in business. \u2062He served as the president of a gold mine in the Dominican\u2062 Republic and\u200c held senior positions at various companies,\u200b including a Pennsylvania-based coal\u200c exporter and a law firm involved\u2064 in the cannabis \u2063industry.<\/p>\n<p>The law firm Foley &#038; Lardner confirmed that Rocha left \u200dthe firm in August. Spanish public relations\u200c firms Llorente &#038; Cuenca, where Rocha also worked, \u200dexpressed their commitment to\u200c transparency and willingness to cooperate with \u2064authorities.<\/p>\n<p>As\u2062 the \u2062case unfolds, more information is expected to emerge, shedding light on\u200b the allegations against \u200bRocha and his alleged involvement with the\u2062 Cuban government.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Click here to read \u2063more from The Washington Examiner.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/knowles-how-the-looters-got-away-with-it\/\" title=\"KNOWLES: How The Looters Got Away With It\">potential legal consequences<\/a>,\u200c including imprisonment, could Rocha face if convicted, and what are the\u2063 national security implications of his alleged involvement with the Cuban government<\/h2>\n<p><span>  .S.-Cuba tensions. He served as ambassador to\u2062 Bolivia from 2000 to 2002, and was\u200b also posted in \u200cVenezuela, Costa Rica, and Mexico.<\/p>\n<p>During his time in Bolivia,\u2063 Rocha \u2062was involved in \u200befforts to strengthen U.S.-Bolivia relations. He supported anti-drug initiatives, promoted economic development, and advocated for democratic \u200creforms. However, the allegations against him suggest that he may have been working\u200b covertly\u200b on behalf of the Cuban\u200d government.<\/p>\n<h3>The FBI Investigation and Arrest<\/h3>\n<p>The FBI investigation into Rocha&#8217;s activities reportedly spanned several years. According to court documents, \u200cagents uncovered evidence suggesting that Rocha was\u200d involved in\u200d espionage activities on behalf of the Cuban government, including passing sensitive information\u200d and conducting covert communications.<\/p>\n<p>His\u2064 arrest on Friday came as a surprise\u2064 to\u200b many in \u200cthe diplomatic community. The\u2063 details surrounding his\u200b alleged activities \u200dand why the investigation\u200c took so long \u2063have yet to be disclosed. However, it\u200d is believed that the FBI had been working diligently to build a\u2062 strong case against him before making the arrest.<\/p>\n<h3>Possible Consequences and Implications<\/h3>\n<p>If\u2064 convicted, Rocha\u200b could face significant legal \u200dconsequences, including potential imprisonment. The \u200bdepth\u2063 of his alleged involvement with the Cuban government and the level of \u200cclassified\u2062 information he may have shared could have serious national security implications.<\/p>\n<p>This case has \u2062once\u2063 again\u200d brought attention to the issue of illicit foreign lobbying and the need\u200b for stricter enforcement. The Justice Department&#8217;s intensified efforts in recent years\u200c demonstrate the\u200d seriousness with which such activities are viewed and the measures being taken to address \u2062them.<\/p>\n<p>For \u2063now, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senate-passes-bipartisan-infrastructure-bill-69-30\/\" title=\"Senate passes bipartisan infrastructure bill 69-30\">future remains uncertain<\/a>\u2064 for Manuel Rocha. As\u2063 more details emerge \u200band the \u2062case unfolds, it will become clearer what impact this arrest will have on U.S.-Cuba\u200c relations and \u2062the\u2063 broader field of diplomacy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A former US ambassador to Bolivia, Manuel Rocha, has been arrested in Miami for allegedly acting as a covert agent for the Cuban government. The arrest came as a result of a lengthy FBI counterintelligence investigation. Rocha, 73, was taken into custody on Friday based on a criminal complaint<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2114823,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2114822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2114822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2114822"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2114822\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2114823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2114822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2114822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2114822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}