MIAMI (AP) — A former career U.S. diplomat was sentenced Friday to 15 years in federal prison after admitting he worked for decades as a secret agent for communist Cuba, a plea agreement that leaves many unanswered questions about a betrayal that stunned the U.S. foreign service.
Manuel Rocha, 73, will also pay a $500,000 fine and cooperate with authorities after pleading guilty to conspiring to act as an agent of a foreign government. In exchange, prosecutors dismissed more than a dozen other counts, including wire fraud and making false statements.
“Your actions were a direct attack to our democracy and the safety of our citizens,” U.S. District Court Judge Beth Bloom told Rocha.
Rocha, dressed in a beige jail uniform, asked his friends and family for forgiveness. “I take full responsibility and accept the penalty,” he said.
The sentencing capped an exceptionally swift criminal case and averted a trial that would have shed new light on what, exactly, Rocha did to help Cuba even as he worked for two decades for the U.S. State Department.
Beijing improves services to facilitate film and television projects
Is there anything Ozempic can't do? Now weight
What is Havana syndrome? Symptoms explained after bombshell 60 Minutes episode
Hong Kong's leading bookstores decline to stock new book by last governor Chris Patten
Classic Peking Opera films set for screening in Beijing
China and Russia hold first joint navy patrol in Pacific
The hotel room on WHEELS! Self
Children addicted to tech including smartphones are more at risk of psychosis, study suggests
1 dead, 7 missing after 2 Japan MSDF helicopters crash near Izu Islands
How I kept my Easter under £10 by buying no eggs and using year
Foreign diplomats impressed by traditional culture, high
Podcast pick: The best audio show to listen to now