Federal prosecutors already have taken Victor Rocha, a native of Colombia who served as America’s ambassador to Bolivia decades back, through America’s judicial system.
In 2023 he was charged with conspiring to act as an agent of a foreign government, defrauding the U.S. and more, and he pleaded guilty to conspiracy and acting as an illegal foreign agent. He’s serving a 15-year sentence.
But now federal prosecutors have filed a civil complaint charging he lied on his application for citizenship, and that citizenship should now be forfeited.
The complaint from the Department of Justice charges Rocha lied throughout the citizenship process in the late 1970s by concealing his ties to Cuba’s Communist Party and falsely affirming allegiance to the U.S. Constitution.
He never was eligible for citizenship, because he allegedly engaged in unlawful acts, provided false testimony, promoted communist ideology, the complaint charges.
“Under no circumstances should an agent of a foreign adversary be permitted to hold the title of American citizen,” said Brett Shumate, an assistant attorney general.
He’s accused of serving an ambassador and senior national security official all the while working on behalf of the Cuban government.
The DOJ’s action is a civil denaturalization complaint.
His case was one of the longest-running infiltrations of the U.S. government by a foreign agent, ever, reports confirmed.
He also held other diplomatic posts across Latin American and was, during the Clinton administration, on the White House National Security Council.
In his roles, he had access to sensitive and classified U.S. government information.
According to a CBS report, the DOJ charges he lied during the naturalization process when he falsely stated under oath he had not committed crimes, was not affiliated with the Communist Party of Cuba, and did not support communism.
During meeting with undercover officers, Rocha allegedly referred to the U.S. as “the enemy” and said, “My number one concern; my number one priority was … any action on the part of Washington that would endanger the life of the leadership, or the revolution itself.”
