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.
Related articles:
Related suggestion:
Xi Urges Efforts to Carry Forward Great Founding Spirit of CPC and Yan'an SpiritXi Awards Friendship Medal to Vietnam's Communist Party ChiefXi Calls for Meeting Challenges of the Times Together at G20 SummitChina launches campaign to boost grain outputSubsidies not reason for Chinese EVs competitive advantage: ministerHayao Miyazaki's animated fantasy leads Chinese box office2023 Women Science and Technology Innovation Pioneer Forum Held in BeijingXi Jinping Leads CPC Leadership in Meeting the PressXi Meets German Chancellor Olaf ScholzXi to Attend G20 Summit, APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting and Visit Thailand
2.7275s , 6505.4140625 kb
Copyright © 2024 Powered by Manuel Rocha, a former US ambassador, sentenced to 15 years for serving as secret agent for Cuba ,Global Glance news portal