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Pretrial Hearing Set for Former US Diplomat Accused of Spying for Cuba

by VOA News

   A pretrial hearing for former U.S. diplomat Manuel Rocha is set for
   Wednesday.

   Rocha, a former U.S. ambassador to Bolivia, is accused of spying for
   Cuba since 1981. He was arrested Friday in Miami and charged with
   federal crimes, including acting as an illegal foreign agent and using
   a fraudulently obtained passport.

   The U.S. government said it will bring additional charges this week.

   Rocha on Monday had his initial court appearance, where he was
   represented by Jacqueline Arango, the co-chair of white-collar crimes
   and government investigations at Akerman law firm.

   Rocha will remain in custody until Wednesday when he has a bond hearing
   in a Miami federal courtroom. Prosecutors have urged Chief Magistrate
   Judge Edwin G. Torres to keep Rocha detained.

   The government is "still assessing the damage," around Rocha's spying,
   according to U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.

   "We will in the coming days, weeks, months work with our partners in
   the intelligence community to assess any long-term national security
   implications for this matter," Miller said.

   Authorities say Rocha's activity was exposed after a series of
   undercover operations, which included meetings between the former U.S.
   State Department employee and an FBI agent, pretending to be a Cuban
   intelligence agent, in which Rocha revealed information about his
   status with the Cuban government.

   "This action exposes one of the highest-reaching and longest-lasting
   infiltrations of the United States government by a foreign agent,"
   Attorney General Merrick Garland said following the arrest.