As previously reported by The Associated Press, a former US ambassador to Bolivia has been taken into custody during an ongoing counterintelligence investigation by the FBI. He is alleged to have surreptitiously worked as an agent for the Cuban government.
The 73-year-old Manuel Rocha was taken into custody in Miami on Friday following a criminal complaint. According to two sources who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing federal investigation, more information regarding the case is expected to be disclosed during a court appearance on Monday.
The Justice Department complaint, according to one source, accuses Rocha of serving the interests of the Cuban government.
As a result of the Justice Department’s increased criminal enforcement of illegal foreign lobbying in recent years, individuals doing political bidding for foreign governments or entities inside the US are required by federal law to register with them.
No reaction was given by the Justice Department. A former employer of Rocha’s stated that it was not representing him, and it was unclear whether he had legal representation.
When reached by the AP, his wife abruptly ended the call.
During his 25 years as a diplomat, Rocha worked for both Republican and Democratic administrations. He spent a lot of time in Latin America during the Cold War, when the United States used its military and politics to exert some heavy-handed measures.
As part of his diplomatic experience, he worked for the US Interests Section in Cuba when the US did not have full diplomatic relations with the communist regime of Fidel Castro.
Rocha joined the foreign service in 1981 after earning a series of liberal arts degrees from Yale, Harvard, and Georgetown. He was raised in a working-class home in New York City and was born in Colombia.
Between 1997 and 2000, he served as the senior US diplomat in Argentina. During that time, the country’s political system collapsed due to a decade-long currency stabilization program backed by Washington, which was causing massive foreign debt and stagnant growth. As a result, the South American nation went through five presidents in the span of two weeks.
While serving as ambassador to Bolivia, he meddled in the 2002 presidential elections by threatening to withhold US aid to the impoverished South American nation if former coca grower Evo Morales were elected. This came weeks before the election.
In a speech that was widely seen as an effort to maintain US dominance in the region, Rocha warned the Bolivian electorate that voting for individuals who support Bolivia’s return to cocaine exports could put future aid to Bolivia at risk.
Morales received a last-minute boost and Bolivians were enraged by the gambit.
After three years of waiting, the socialist leader was elected and promptly removed Rocha’s successor as head of the diplomatic mission on charges of instigating “civil war.”
In addition to his time in the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Honduras, and Italy, Rocha was a Latin America specialist for the US National Security Council.
Rocha’s wife, Karla Wittkop Rocha, would not comment when contacted by the AP. “I don’t need to talk to you,” she said before hanging up.
After leaving the State Department, Rocha started a second career in business, this time as head of a Dominican Republic gold mine that was partially owned by Barrick Gold, a Canadian company.
He has recently worked his way up the ladder at XCoal, an exporter of coal located in Pennsylvania; Clover Leaf Capital, an organization that helps cannabis businesses merge; Foley & Lardner, a legal firm; and Llorente & Cuenca, a public relations agency in Spain.
Dario Alvarez, CEO of Llorente & Cuenca’s US business, spoke in an email about the firm’s dedication to transparency. He added that they will actively follow the issue and cooperate fully with the authorities as soon as any information is provided to them.
Neither XCoal nor Clover Leaf Capital were available for comment at the time of this writing. Rocha departed from Foley & Lardner in August, according to the law firm.