MIAMI — The U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil denaturalization complaint against convicted Cuban spy Victor Manuel Rocha in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, seeking to strip American citizenship from the former U.S. ambassador who admitted to secretly serving Havana’s intelligence services for decades.
The complaint brings seven independent counts seeking revocation of Rocha’s citizenship. Rocha, a native of Colombia, began spying for Cuba in 1973 — five years before he naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 1978. When he applied for naturalization, he swore under penalty of perjury that he had no undisclosed criminal conduct, no affiliation with the Communist Party of Cuba, and no support for communism — all of which were false.
“Under no circumstances should an agent of a foreign adversary be permitted to hold the title of American citizen,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate. “Our mission is clear: to root out these fraudsters and preserve the sanctity of the naturalization process for those who adhere to our laws. Any individual who lied during the naturalization process to gain a foothold in this country will be met with the full weight of the Department of Justice.”
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida called Rocha one of the most damaging intelligence assets Cuba ever placed inside the American government. “Victor Manuel Rocha was not a low-level operative. He was a former United States Ambassador and senior government official who admitted he secretly served the Cuban regime for decades,” Reding Quiñones said. “The Southern District of Florida helped take down one of the most prolific Cuban spies ever uncovered in the United States. This civil denaturalization case is about finishing the job.”
Reding Quiñones added: “A person who secretly serves communist Cuba should not keep the privilege of United States citizenship, even while in prison.”
Rocha was charged in 2023 with multiple counts related to espionage for Cuba and passport fraud. In April 2024, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government and to defraud the United States, as well as acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government. He was sentenced to and is serving a 15-year prison term.
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 civil action. The claims made in the complaint are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability. Related court documents are available through the Southern District of Florida under case number 26-cv-23236.