Former US ambassador sentenced to 15 years in prison for serving as secret agent for Cuba

By GISELA SALOMON and JIM MUSTIAN
Associated Press

MIAMI (AP) — A former career U.S. diplomat has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after admitting he worked for decades as a secret agent for communist Cuba. Manuel Rocha was sentenced Friday after pleading guilty to conspiring to act as an agent of a foreign government. But his plea agreement left unanswered questions about a betrayal that stunned the U.S. foreign service. Rocha’s agreed-upon sentence came less than six months after his shocking arrest at his Miami home. Prosecutors said he engaged in “clandestine activity” on Cuba’s behalf since 1981, met with Cuban operatives and provided false information to U.S. officials about his contacts.