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Convicted Cuban Spy Loses US Citizenship
A federal suit has been filed against Victor Manuel Rocha, a Colombian national and former US Ambassador, to revoke his US citizenship. Rocha was convicted of serving as an unregistered agent for the Republic of Cuba and is currently serving a 15-year sentence.
Rocha admitted in criminal proceedings that he began spying for Cuba in 1973, before naturalizing in 1978. During his naturalization examination, he lied under penalty of perjury about various facts, including his affiliation with the Communist Party of Cuba.
The U.S. seeks an order revoking Rocha’s naturalization based on his admission that he secretly supported the Republic of Cuba and its clandestine intelligence-gathering mission against the U.S. by serving as a covert agent of Cuba’s intelligence services.
The complaint alleges that Rocha procured his citizenship by concealing material facts or willfully misrepresenting several facts in naturalization proceedings related to spying for Cuba. The claims made in the complaint are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Denaturalization Unit of the Civil Division’s Office of Immigration Litigation and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida are litigating the case.
Victor Manuel Rocha, a native of Colombia, was not qualified for naturalization for several reasons, including that he committed unlawful acts, gave false testimony during his naturalization examination, was not attached to the principles of the U.S. Constitution and not well-disposed to the good order and happiness of the U.S., was affiliated with the Communist Party of Cuba, and advocated for communism.
Rocha was sentenced to a 15-year prison term and is currently serving his sentence. He was convicted of Conspiracy to Act as an Agent of a Foreign Government and to Defraud the United States and Acting as an Illegal Agent of a Foreign Government.
Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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