US diplomat-turned-Cuban spy, 73, reveals he was radicalized at YALE after being plucked from Harlem projects and gifted with a scholarship – as he finally makes huge admission after being sentenced to 15 years in prison

A former US ambassador who pleaded guilty to spying for Cuba says he was radicalized while studying at Yale University.

Victor Manuel Rocha, 73, was arrested in December in Miami and charged with gathering intelligence for the rogue communist state since 1981.

His activities came to light after an undercover sting operation in which he described his secret activities to Havana and praised Fidel Castro.

While he was sentenced to 15 years behind bars on Friday, Rocha told the court that it was his time at Yale University that radicalized him to become a spy.

In a statement, Rocha said: ‘During my formative years in college I was heavily influenced by the radical politics of the time.’

“My deep commitment at the time to radical social change in the region led me to the ultimate betrayal of my oath of loyalty to the United States during my two decades at the State Department.

‘Today I no longer see the world through the radical eyes of my youth. My long and successful transition to the private sector culminated in me becoming a top international leader in the mining sector for well over a decade.

“However, the latter cannot erase the damage that occurred during my previous career working for the government.

‘I take full responsibility for it and accept the fine I have to pay. I make substantial amends to them through my unconditional cooperation with those I have betrayed.’

Born in Colombia, Rocha moved to New York City at the age of 10 and lived in Harlem with his widowed mother and two siblings.

According to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, his mother worked in a sweatshop and the family got by on food stamps.

In 1965, he won a scholarship to attend The Taft School, an elite boarding school in Connecticut.

He went on to study at Yale, graduating with honors with a degree in Latin American studies, and then to graduate work at Harvard and Georgetown.

Rocha joined the State Department in 1981 and rose through the ranks as a career diplomat, also serving in posts in Havana, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, the Dominican Republic and Washington.

He began assisting Havana as a secret agent for Cuba’s General Directorate of Intelligence (DGI) in 1981, and his clandestine activities continued until his arrest.

Rocha served on the National Security Council from 1994 to 1995 in the administration of President Bill Clinton and was ambassador to Bolivia from 2000 to 2002 under Clinton and George W. Bush.

He also served as an adviser to the US military command in charge of Cuba.

Rocha left national service in 2006 and later served as an adviser to the US Southern Command, which oversees Cuba, until 2012.

Rocha was arrested in December for what US officials called ‘one of the most far-reaching and longest-running infiltrations of the US government by a foreign agent’.

The father-of-two diplomat, who was appointed by Bill Clinton, was living in the open in Florida with his graphic designer wife Karla Wittkop Rocha when he was charged.

He initially pleaded not guilty in February to charges of conspiring to act as an agent of a foreign government, but later accepted a plea deal with federal prosecutors in March.

Attorney General Merrick Garland, who announced Rocha’s arrest in December, said he had “repeatedly referred to the United States as ‘the enemy'” and “repeatedly bragged about the importance of his efforts.”

“Rocha always kept his status as a Cuban agent secret to protect himself and others and to allow himself to engage in further covert activity,” a criminal complaint reads.

The agent contacted Rocha via WhatsApp, claiming to be a representative of ‘your friends in Havana’.

The pair met several times, including once at a food court where he was asked if he was still ‘with’ Cuba.

His response was ‘angry’ and he replied: ‘It’s like questioning my manhood.’

He admitted he traveled to Havana in 2016 or 2017 to meet with his handlers and asked the undercover agent to send ‘my warmest regards to the Direccion’, referring to the DGI, Cuba’s secret intelligence agency.

Rocha told an undercover agent that the rules for Cuban spies included referring to Havana as “the island” and adopting the persona of a political conservative in the United States.

At the time of his first arrest, it was reported that Republican Maria Elvira Salazar was returning Rocha’s $750 donation to her campaign.

In December, a former colleague told Rocha, John Feeley Washington Post that the spy was ‘charming’ and ‘ambitious.’ Feeley described him as an expert on Latin American affairs.

Around the time of his arrest, Feeley said Rocha had ‘gone full circle with Donald Trump’. “It was the perfect cover,” Feeley said.

Rocha was sentenced to five years for conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government and ten years for acting as a foreign agent, to be served consecutively.

Numerous protesters were seen outside the courthouse in Miami on Friday demanding the ‘maximum sentence’ for Rocha.

Judge Beth Bloom told Rocha on Friday: ‘You turned your back on this country again and again’ and said she would impose ‘the maximum sentence allowed by law’ after a three and a half hour hearing in Miami.