Case 1:23-mj-04368-EGT Document 1 Entered on FLSD Docket 12/04/2023 Page 1 of 22

ER

Dec 1, 2023

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT Miami

SO UTH ERN DISTRICT O F FLOR IDA
CASENO$5-#,?r -Y% YL PF+ -S
.

IN RE CO M PLAINT
/
CRIM INAL CO VER SH EET
Didthism atteroriginate from am atterpending in theN orthern RegionoftheUnited States
Attorney'sOffcepriortoAugusts,2014(Mag.JudgeShaniekM.Maynard)? No
D id thismatteroriginatefrom a matterpending in the CentralRegion ofthe United States
Attorney'sOfficepriortoOctober3,20l9(M ag.JudgeJaredM .Strausslz No
Did this m atter involve the pal
-ticipation of or consultation wiîh now M agistrate Judge
Eduardo 1.Sanchez during histenure atthe U.S.Attorney's Office,which concluded on
January 22,20237 N o

Respectfully subm itted,

M A RKEN ZY LAPOIN TE
UN ITED STATES ATTORNEY

By:
J athanb.Stratton
ssistantUnited StatesAttorney
FL BarN o.93075
99 NortheastFourth Street
M iam i,Florida33l32-21ll
Te1:305-961-9151
Elmail:J
'onatlnan.stratton@
o usdoj.gov
Case 1:23-mj-04368-EGT Document 1 Entered on FLSD Docket 12/04/2023 Page 2 of 22

AO 9!(Rev.11/!1) CriminalComrlaint
U NITED STATES D ISTRICT COURT
forthe
Southern DistrictefFlorida

United StatesoîAmerica )
V. '
)
)
casexo. âb -8 T- * (%--là# $
VictorManuelRocha,
)
)
J
De./à/7t
'
ftm/.
CRIM IN AL CO M PLAINT
1,thecomplainantin thiscase,statetl:atthefollowing istruetothebestofmy knowledgeandbelief.
Onoraboutthedatets)of November1981toDecember1,2023 inthecountyOf Viami-Dade inthe
Soutqtqn
. Districtof Florida ,thedefendantts)violated:
CodeSectîon OffenseDavcrl/lfc?n
Conspiracyto ActasAnAgentofa Foreign Governm entand to Defraud the
18 U.S.C.j 371 United States
Acting asan Ill
egalAgentofa Foreign Governm ent
18U.S.C.j951 Useofa PassportObtained by a False Statement
18U.S.C.51542

Thiscriminalcomplaintisbased onthesefacts:
SEE ATTACHED AFFIDAVIT.

/'Continuedontheattachedsheet.

MichaelJ.Haley,SpecialAgent,FBI
Pl'inted nameandtitle

Swom tobeforemeand signed in my presence.

Date: 12/01/2023
lldge's.ç/g?'l(7/l/rc
HonorableEdwin .Torres,ChiefUnitedStatesMagistrateJudse
tzity and state: ) .-- - .--
lDl.itî/:4f/r7t?l?;e631361tllle
Case 1:23-mj-04368-EGT Document 1 Entered on FLSD Docket 12/04/2023 Page 3 of 22

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA

UNITED STATES UFAM ERICA

CaseNo43-AJ--I'
.
M -7TS J
. .

VICTO R M ANU EL R O CH A,

Defendant.
/

AFFIDAW T IN SUPPORT OF CRIM INAL COM PLAINT

1,M ichaelHaley,being duly sworn,herebydeposeand stateasfollows:

INTRODUCTION AND AGENT BACKGRO UND

Iam aSpecialAgentwiththeFederalBureau ofInvestigation (';FB1''),cun'ently
assignedto anationalsecurity squad in the M iamiDivision. Ihavebeen arlFB1SpecialAgent

sinceAugust2020,andhavebeenassignedtotheM iam iDivisiensinceJanuary2021.M yduties

involve the investigation of a variety of federal offenses, including espionage and other

counterintelligence m atters relating to Cuba. As a result,I am fam iliar with the m ethods of

foreign agentsacting in the United States atthe direction orcontrolofforeign governm ents,
including effortsto concealthe transm ission ofnonpublic infol-m ation by persons who possess,

orhavcpossessed,a U.S.governmentsecurity clearance.1am also familiazwith thetradecraft

used by Cuban intelligence officers. Finally, I have received training on U.S.classifed

inform ation and the system used by federalagencies to protectthis inform ation,including the

rulesand regulationsthatgovern itsstorage,use,and lawfultransm ission,

As a federal agent,1 am authorized to ilw estigate violations of U .S.laws and

execute wm'rantsissued underthe authority ofthe United States.

Im ake this affidavitin supportofa crim inalcom plaintforV IC TOR M AN UEL
Case 1:23-mj-04368-EGT Document 1 Entered on FLSD Docket 12/04/2023 Page 4 of 22

ROCHA (theEGDefendanf')forviolationsof18 U.S.C j 951(acting asan agentOfaforeign

government),j371(conspiracy tocommitan offenseagainsttheUnited States,specifically 18
U.S.C j951),andj 1542(useofaUnitedStatespassportsecuredbyfalsestatement).
The facts and inform ation contained in this affidavit are based on m y personal

knowledgeofthe investigation,my training and experience,theobservationsand repol'

tsofother

law enforcem entofficers,and infolnuation obtained from other agents and witnesses. This

affidavitisintended to show only there issufticientprobablecause forthe requested complaint

and does not set fe14h al1my knowledge or allfacts known to the United States about this

investigation.
THE CRIM INAL CONDUCT

Thepefeqdant
5. TheDefendant,VICTOR M ANUEL ROCHA,wasborninColombiaon orabout

October23,1950. ROCHA became a naturalized United States citizen in 1978,and currently

resides in M iami,Florida. ROCHA possesses multiple United States passports as wellas a

passportfrom theDominican Republic.

6. Asdiscussed below,by hisown admission,beginningno laterthan approximately

1981,and continuing to the present,R O CH A secretly supported the Republic of Cuba and its

clandestine intelligence-gathering mission againstthe United Statesby serving asacovertagent

OfCuba'sintelligenceservices.
To furtherthatrole,ROCH A obtained and maintained employmentin theUnited

Statesgovelmmentinpositionsthatprovided him:(1)accesstononpublicinformation,including
classifed inform ation;and (2) the ability to affect United States foreign policy. After his
2
!

Case 1:23-mj-04368-EGT Document 1 Entered on FLSD Docket 12/04/2023 Page 5 of 22

employmentended,ROCHA held otherpositionsand engaged in othezactsintended to support

Cuba'sintelligenceservices. RO CHA alwayskepthisstatusasaCuban agentsecretin orderto

protecthimselfandothersandtoallow him selftheopportunitytoengageinadditibnalclandestine

activity. Forexample,ROCHA:(l)provided falseand misleading information to theUnited

Statestomaintain hissecretmission'
,(2)traveled outsidetheUnited Statestomeetwith Cuban
intelligenceoperatives;and(3)madefalseandmisleadingstatementstoobtaintraveldocuments.
8. AtnotimedidROCHA providenotitscation totheUnited StatesAttorney General

orthe Secretary ofState asrequired by law thathe was,in fact,acting asan agentofa foreign

government,specifically theRepublicofCuba.
TheR epublic ofCuba and itsIntelligence Services

TheRepublicofCubaisan authoritarian,Communiststate.

From in or arotm d 1961 until July 2015,the United States did not maintain
diplomaticrelationswith the governmentoftheRepublicofCuba.From in oraround 1977 until
July 2015,the United States Intcrests Section of the Sw iss Em bassy in Havana, Cuba, was

designated asthe officialrepresentative ofthe United Statesgovernm entto Cuba.

Betw een 1982 and 2015, and frt)m 2021 until the present, the U nited States

D epartm entofState has designated Cuba as a state sponsorofintem ationaltel-rorism in itsState

SponsorsofTerrorism List,due to Cuba'ssupportforinternationalterrorism and subversion of

UnitedStatesjustice.
12. Since the Cuban R evolution, m cm bers and associates of Cuba's Com m unist
Party,including Cuba's intelligence services,used the Spanish term Gûcom andante''to refer to
Case 1:23-mj-04368-EGT Document 1 Entered on FLSD Docket 12/04/2023 Page 6 of 22

Cuba'sformerleaderFidelCastro,and theterm tçcompaseror''which m eanscomradeinEnglish,

toreferto fellow regimeloyalists.

13. SGrting with FidelCastro's ascentto power,the Republic of Cuba viewed the

U nited States as i1sprim ary threat,and Cuban govelmm entofficialsreferred to the United States

asan enemy ofCuba.

14. Cuba'sintelligenceservicesincludentlmerousintelligenceand counterintelligence

entities,including the Directorate of Intelligence,also known as the GeneralDirectorate of

Intelligence,or in Spanish,i'Direccién de Inteligencia''Ori'Direccién Generalde Intcligencia''

(collectively,the$$DGI'').TheDGIischargedwithgatheringworldwideintelligenceinformation

ofinterestto Cubaand its allies.

M embers and associates of Cuba's intelligence services use the Spanish term

lEDireccitm''torefertotheDGI.
16. The United States was, and continues to be, the principaltarget for Cuba's

intelligencegathering.Tothatend,theDGlspotsand assessespersonswithin theUnited States,

including employees ofthe United Statesgèvernment,who may be suitable for recruitmentto

serveavariety ofrolesonbehalfoîCuba'sinterests.
One ofthe m ostim portantofthese roles is tlzatofagent- thatis,a person who is

notan officially-recognized employee ofthe D OIbutwho is aw are he orshe is w orking forthe

service and is willing to engage in clandestine operational activity, including intelligence

gathering,atthedirection,andonbehalf,oftieDGI,
Case 1:23-mj-04368-EGT Document 1 Entered on FLSD Docket 12/04/2023 Page 7 of 22

The D efendant's Positions atthe D epartm entofState

-

18. Between in oraroundNovember1981and August2002,ROCHA wasemployed

bytheUnitedStatesDepartmentofState(G:DoS''),adepartmentoftheUnited Statesgovemment
that managesthe United States'relationships with foreign govenzments and implements U.S.

foreign policy.
From in or around December l982 untilin oraround January 1985,as a DoS

employee,ROCHA servedasaPoliticalOffcerattheUnited StatesEmbassy in Santo Dom ingo,

DominicmaRepublic.
From in or around February 1987 until in or around February 1989.as a DoS

em ployee,RO CH A served asa Political-M ilitary Affairs Officeratthe United StatesEm bassy in

Tegucigalpa,H onduras.
From in or around February l989 until in or arpund N ovem ber 1991,as a DoS

employee,ROCHA served astheFirstSecretary atthe United StatesEmbassy in M exico City,

M exico.
From inoraroundNovember1991untilinoraroundJuly 1994,asaDoS employee,

ROCHA servedastheDeputy ChiefofM ission attheUnited StatesEmbassyin SantoDomingo,

Dom inican Republic.

From in or around July 1994 untilin or around July 1995,as a DoS em ployee,

ROCHA sen'ed astheDirectorofInter-Am erican Affairson theUnited StatesNationalSecurity

Council,w ith specialresponsibility for,am ong otherthings,Cuba. Thefollow ing isa photograph

ofthe defendantfrom thattim e:

Case 1:23-mj-04368-EGT Document 1 Entered on FLSD Docket 12/04/2023 Page 8 of 22

From in or around July 1995 until in or around July 1997,as a DoS em ployee,

ROCHA served asDeputy PrincipalOfsceratthe United States lnterests Section in Havana,

Cuba.
From in oraround July 1997untilin oraroundN ovem ber1999,asa DoS employee,

ROCHA served as Deputy Chief of M ission atthe United States Embassy in Buenos Aires,

Argcntina.
26. From in or around N ovember 1999 untilin or around August 2002,as a DoS

employee,ROCHA served asAmbassadorto Bolivia atthe United StatesEmbassy in La Paz,

Bolivia.
The Defendant'sC onductte Gain Access to N onpublic Inform ation
- - - - .

27. ThroughouthisemploymentattheDoS,ROCHA had uniqueaccessto nonpublic

United Statesgovernmentinform ation.

28. Atnotim ew asR O CH A authorized,directly orindirectly,to deliver,com m unicate,

or transm it nonpublic information to agents, offk ers, or cm ployees of any hostile foreign

intelligence service,during orafterhis em ploym ent.

Case 1:23-mj-04368-EGT Document 1 Entered on FLSD Docket 12/04/2023 Page 9 of 22

29. Throughout his DoS employment, ROCHA repeatedly was required, in

questiormaires,security briefings,interviews,and othersettings,to affirm thatheunderstood and

would adhere to laws and regulaticns restricting the use and sharing ofnonpublie information,

includingclassifiedinformationsubjtcttogreaterrestl-ictions.
30. For exam ple,on Novem ber 25, 1981,R O CH A signed a Security A greem ent in

which he acknowledged he could notpublish orrevealto any person,eitherdtzring orafterhis

DoS employment, any classified or administratively controlled information, or any other

infonmationtransmittedtohim in confidencein thecourseofhisofficialduties.

Inanotherexample,onJanuary 12,1989,ROCHA signedaClassitsed lnformation

N ondisclosure A greem ent,in w hich he acknow ledged thatunauthorized disclosure ofnonpublic

information couldcauseirreparableinjuryto theUnited Statesorcouldbeused to advantagea

foreign nation.
32' Throughhiscarcer,RO CHA alsowasrequiredtoaftirm hisloyaltiestotheUnited

States and absence of covertactivity on behalf of any foreign nation. ROCHA repeatedly

answ ered these questionsfalsely.

For example,in a 1981 questionnaire,RO CH A falsely responded ;$no''to the

questions (tAre you now or have you ever been an agent or representative of,or othm-wise

em ployed by oracted fora foreign principal,eitherpersonally orthrough association w ith a firm ?''

and EsAre you now orhave you everbeen a member of any foreign or domestic organization,
association,m ovem ent,group,orcom bination ofpersonswhich istotalitarian,fascist,com munist,

orsubversive?''
Case 1:23-mj-04368-EGT Document 1 Entered on FLSD Docket 12/04/2023 Page 10 of 22

34. On September 22, 1991,ROCHA falsely stated in a SF-86 Questionnaire for

NationalSecurity Positionsthathehad notevertçbeen cmployedby oracted asaconsultantfora

foreign governm ent,firm oragency.''

35. On M ay 8,1994,during an FBlbackgrotmd investigation interview conducted at

theUnitedStatesEmbassy in SantoDomingo,DominicanRepublic,regarding hisappointmentto

theUnited StatesNationalSecurity Council,RO CHA falsely stated,among otherthings,thathe

did notknow ofany sittlation,pastorpresent,which could have a bearing on hissuitability for

employmentwith theUnited Statesgovernm ent;thatthere wasnothing in hispersonallifethat

may negatively affecthis appointm entto the NationalSectlrity Councilor thatcould be used

againsthim;and thathehadno foreign contactwith Cubannationals.

36. On August25,1999,in a SF-86 Questiolmaire forNationalSeeurity Positions,

ROCHA falsely answered iûno''tothefollowing questions,amongothers: (a)Cs
Afeyounow or
have you ever been employed by oracted as a consultantfor a foreign governm ent,15.
= ,or

agency?'';(b)S'Have you everhad any contactwith a foreign govelmment,itsestablishments

(embassiesorconsulates),oritsrepresentatives,whetherinsideoroutsidetheU.S.otherthanon
officialU.S.GovernmentbusinessT';(c)Eflsthereanythinginyourpersonallifethatcouldbeused
bysomeoneto coerceorblackmailyotl?r
'and(d)Ktlsthereanythinginyourlifethatcould cause
an em barrassm entto you orto the Presidentifpublicly know n?''

Summ aa ofActivitiesAfferLeavinatheStateDepartm ent

37. Since leaving DoS,ROCHA hasheld a series oflucrativeprivate-sectorjobs.

RO CH A currently isem ployed by LLY C U SA as a Idsenior internationalbusinessadvisor.''

8
Case 1:23-mj-04368-EGT Document 1 Entered on FLSD Docket 12/04/2023 Page 11 of 22

38. From in oraiound 2006 untilin oraround 2012,ROCHA wasan advisorto the

Commanderofthe United StatesSouthern Command,ajointcommand oftheUnited States

militaz.
y whoseareaofresponsibility includesCuba.
39. Travelrecordsshow thatROCHA haseaveled frequently and widely outside the

United States,includingm ultipletripsto Cuba.

TheDefendant'sContactsin 2022 and 2023 with an UndercoverDGIRepresentative

40. Priorto N ovember 2022,FBl received infonnation that ROCHA was a covert

agentofthe DG I.
On November 15,2022,while in M iami,ROCHA responded to a W hatsApp

lnessagefrom an individualpurportingto beacovel'

tD6lrepresentative,butwhowas,in fact,an

FBlundercoveremployee($çUC'').Themessageread:IdGoodAfternoonambassador,mynameis
M igueland Ihave a m essage foryou from yourfriendsin H avana. Itis in regardsto a sensitive

matter. Are you available foratelephonecall?'' ROCHA replied:1GIdon'tunderstand butyou

can callm e.''

LaterthatdaysROCHA partici/atedinarecordedphonecallwiththeUC,inwhich
the UC informed ROCHA hisnnmewastlkliguel''and thathewasSdrepresentingyourfriendsin

Havana.'' TheUC furtherinform edROCH A thathe wasStordered ...to makecontactwith you

to giveyouam essage.1know thatyouhavebeenagreatfriend ofourssinceyourtim einChile.''l

The UC then explained ''we have little problems in the island and in ourembassy in Santo

Domingo aswell,butdon'twol'ry,l'm hereto resolve the situation,butthese are very delicate

lIndependentevidence,to includetravelrecords,confirm thatROCHA lived in Chilein oraround

1973.
Case 1:23-mj-04368-EGT Document 1 Entered on FLSD Docket 12/04/2023 Page 12 of 22

issues,alld itw ould be bestto talk aboutitin person.'' R O CH A agreed to m eettheU C in person

the follow ing day in frontofachurch on 6th Streetin theBrickellneighborhood ofM iam iat10:00

anA.

The FirstU C M eetinz: N ovem ber 16,2022

43. 0n N ovem ber 16,2022,as directed,R O CH A m etthe U C in front of the First

M iam i Presbyterian Church at approxim ately 10:00 nm . This m eeting was audio and video-

recorded,aswereR O CH A 'Stw o subsequentlnleetilagswith the UC . A11three m eetingsbetw een

the U C and RO CH A took place in Spanish and have since been translated to English,

44. W hile traveling to the m eeting location, RO C HA engaged in a Sulweillance

Detection Route ((<SDR'')consistentwith DGItradecraft. In my training and experience,the

purpose of an SDR is to detel-m ine whetherthe individualis being followed or observed on the

way to a covertm eeting. Specifically,1aw enforcem entobserved R O CH A taking an indirect,

longer,circuitous route to the church,rather than going there in a directm armer. In addition,

am ong otherthings,he stopped during the route ata location tbrseveralm inutes so thathe could

obsel'vethe m eeting placefrom a safe distance.R O CH A 'Suse ofcounter-surveillanceteclm iques

is consistentwith prior training in covel'

toperations. lndeed,he latertold the U C thatlithey are

notgoing to see m e when 1 com e outoverhere ..,that's whatIdid today because Idid a w hole

route ...It's whatI've alwaysbeen told to do.''

A tthe startofhis meeting w ith the UC,RO C H A guided the UC to a ûsfood court''

at their location w ith çtlow-levelemployees ...who don't wantto spend too m uch m oney. So,

there's no possibility for -foranyone to see m e.'' RO CH A refen-ed to thisas a GGm easul'e ..,out
Case 1:23-mj-04368-EGT Document 1 Entered on FLSD Docket 12/04/2023 Page 13 of 22

ofprecaution''becauseû$1havealways...received suffcienttrainingtoknow thatyoumustbeon

th:alertto -toprovocations.''

46. Bozen theUC toldROCHA hewasûCacovertrepresentativeherein M iam i''whose

m ission was ç%o contact you, introduce m yself as your new contact, and establish a new

com m unication plalz,'' RO CH A answered $;Yes,'' and proceeded to engage lengthy

conversation withtheUC,during which ROCHA repeatedlydescribed andcelebrated hisactivity

asa D CIagent.
During thism eeting,RO C H A told the UC:$11wantyou to tellm y Com paherosthat

Iappreciate,andIam verythankfulforthisalerk''explainingthatduring hislastcontactwiththe

DGI,çd1wasablctotl-
avcl...tothecapitalandwhilethere1hadalongmeeting...gilnHavana.''
R O CH A added, regarding the U C's explicit reference to iûl-
lavana'' during thcir initial

conversations::Ewe have anothernam e. W eneverutilize Havana ...Itend to say (TheIsland.'...

IneveruseC orH ...g'rlhatwastheonlythingthat...1thought,ifsomeonehasbetrayedandtold

the enem y's counterintelligence ..,why are they utilizing ...Havana ...But...M iguelis what1

remembered,because Idon'twrite anything down ...Itry to memorizc things ...forsecurity

,3
reasons.

RO CH A said thatEtsince theD irecciön asked m e ...to lead anorm allife ...1have

- have created thelegend ofaright-w ing person.'' 1know from m y training and experiencethata

legend isan agent'sartificialbackgroundorafeattlreofhisbiographyused tom aintain hiscovert

status.

49. ROCH A said thismeetingwas'çmy frstcontact-...sincemy -my lasttripto ()

Havana,''which RO C H A stated was in 4û2016 or2017,9'when hetraveled to Havana via Panam a

11
Case 1:23-mj-04368-EGT Document 1 Entered on FLSD Docket 12/04/2023 Page 14 of 22

andC'gfjrom Panama,Iwentto ...1mean,1entered as-asaDominicanj''refeningtohisuseof

hisDom inican Republicpassportinstead ofhisAmerican passport.

50. R O CH A furtherexplained that1GIalw aystold m yself,d'l-he only thing thatcan put

everything wehavedonein dangeris-is..,someone'sbetrayal,someonewhomayhavemetme)

som eone who m ay have known som ething atsom e point.'''

ROCHA assured the UC thatCsmy numberoneconcern;m y numberonepriority

w asthe ...any action on the pal4 of W ashington thatw ould - w ould endanger the life of-ofthe

leadership,orthe- orthe revolution itself.''

52. R O CH A asked the U C to send itm y w arm estregardsto the Direccién,''and after

theUC promised to do so,ROCHA said thefollowing:

ROCHA: gljtwasdecades-itwasdecades.1mean,decadesthatwere
deep -
U C: How m any years?
RO CH A : A lm ost40.
U C: W ow .
R O CH A : Uh - of a lot of dmlger.Uh ... They m usthave told you
som ething because you m entioned Chile. ... That ...
inspired trustin m e and atthe sam e tim e1thought,iftherc's
atraitorandtheyknow thatIwasinChileg.j...Ihavetotell
you som ething.
UC : Tellm e.
R O CH A : Uh ...Itgivesm e alotof...prideand satisfaction to seethat
- t
hatpeoplelikeM iguel,who are- who aremuch younger,
but-
U C: Thank you.
R O CHA : -w ho are there -
U C.
. Thank you.
R O CHA : - doing ...This isnoteasy -
U C: N o,no,itisnoteasy. N o,itisa struggle-
R O CH A ; -itis notcasy -

12
Case 1:23-mj-04368-EGT Document 1 Entered on FLSD Docket 12/04/2023 Page 15 of 22

U C: -but'we are fighting.

RO C H A : -thisis noteasy.U h...uh...
UC: Thnnk you foryourfriendship and help forso many years.
Right?Thnnk you very m uch.
RO C H A : Ofcourse,no problem ...This is a huge sacrifsce ...hug.e,
w ith a lot oftension thatyou have to m anage intem ally ...
uh ...with self-discipline - ...allthe time....W hen you
have the conviction,you have self-discipline -

RO C HA agreed to m eetthe U C again on February 10,2023,w ith February 17,

2023,asabackup date. RO CHA alsoproposeda backup location ifthepaircould notmeetin

M iam i. R O CH A described a specitic location in Santo Dom ingo,Dom inican Republicsw here

(tlow -incom e people ...go to the food coulf'so thatRO CH A would notbeidentised.

R O CH A also agreed to utilize a Colom bian Pesos bill as a parole at the next

m eeting to ensure operationalsectlrity. 1know from m y training and experience thata parole is

a password orrecognition phrase oritem used between an agentand his handler,orbetween

intelligenceofficers,asasecurity protocol.
The Second UC M eetinq: Februarv 17.2023

55. Prior to February 10,2023,the FBI learned RO CH A had leftthe countl'y on a

businesstrip. Outofan abundance ofcaution,theUC arrived attheagreed-upon location,but

RO CH A did notattend.
56. On February 17,2023,the backup date agreed upon atthe tirstm eeting,RO CH A

m ettheU C asplanned atthe Brickelloutdoorfood courtw here they had m etpreviously.

57. W hen traveling to the m eeting, RO CH A used countensurveillance techniques

sim ilar to those for the first m eeting. A dditionally, upon m eeting the UC, he utilized a
Case 1:23-mj-04368-EGT Document 1 Entered on FLSD Docket 12/04/2023 Page 16 of 22

Colom bian Pesosbillasaparole,and com plim ented the UC On his coverstol'

y lbrtheirm eeting.

R O CHA told the UC,regarding theirm eeting location;$(Ihave m y bank here ...So,it's my

legend forbeing here.''

58. R O CH A assured the U C 'iButof course''when told the D GI wanted to confirm

çlthatyou continuetobeaCompaiero ofours.''

59. ROCHA said,regarding how he obtained hisDoS empleyment:$ç1wentlittleby

little ...ltwasa very meticulousprocess...very disciplined- butvery disciplined....1kmew

exactly how to do itand obviously the D irecciôn accom panied m e....they lcnew that1 knew

how to do it...lt'sa long processand itw asn'teasy.''

60. W hen asked by the U C whether Gifthere was an opportunity,where w e can work

together again,''R O CH A replied;(1N o - no you guys don'teven have to propose that ...if

1hadaccesstosomethingthatwasworthwhile,1-1wouldproposeit(pointsathimselfj.Uh ...
and the access ...it'shaving accessto inform ation that's im portant.''

61. During their m eeting,R O CH A celebrated his activities on behalf ofthe D GIand

againstthe United States'interests,and explained why and how he continued to preservethe

secrecy ofthoseactivities,statingamonggtherthings;(1)t'gFjorme,whathasbeen done,has

strengthenedtheRevolution. Ithasstzengthened itimmensely ...(W1ecan'tput-putthatin
danger....l'm very zealousin regardsto whatw e havedone and with what1have to protect,and

whatwehavedone.'';(2)$Clhavetoprotectwhatwedidbecausewhatwedid ...becausewhat
wedidis...thecem entthathasstrengthened thelast40years.Im ean,thatcementisconcrete.

lt'snot(UI),it'sconcrete. You know?''h

'(3)$$1wouldn'tputwhatwehave done in danger...
-

because ...they wouîd reactstrongly againstthe Revolution ...strongly because ofthe factthat

14
Case 1:23-mj-04368-EGT Document 1 Entered on FLSD Docket 12/04/2023 Page 17 of 22

throughmy participationwe-wedidwhatwedid.'';(4)Ss-l-heytmderestimatedwhatwecould
dotothem .W edidmorethantheythoughf';and(5)SttheDirecciônknows''whatROCHA did.
62. During thismeeting,RO CHA furthersaid,asconfirmed in the screenshotbelow
from close-captioned video ofthem eeting'
.SsW hatw e have done ...it'senorm ous ...M ore than

a grand slam .''

63. During theirm eeting,RO CH A also lnm ented Stthe blowsthatthe enemy,''m enning

theUnited State
's,'thasdealtto thectlrrentrevolution.''
64. ROCHA agreed to meet the UC a third time,and m ade arrangements for that

meetingincluding a backup plan,reassuring theUC thatEsyou can ask the Direcciôn ...Iwas

alw aysthere.''
The Third UC M eeting; June23.2023

65. On June 23,2023,R O CH A m etthe U C in person atthe outdoorfood courtwlaere

they had m etthe previous tw o tim es. W hen traveling to the m eeting,RO CH A again used an

SDR .
66. During theirm eeting,when told by the U C that(sthe Direcciôn w antsto ensure that
Case 1:23-mj-04368-EGT Document 1 Entered on FLSD Docket 12/04/2023 Page 18 of 22

you are stilla Compu ero ofours ...Are you stillw ith us?,''RO CH A responded later:(çI am

angly.I'm pissed off...Becauseofthe qucstion thatwasasked ..,lt'sthat- that.,.it'slike

questioning my manhood ...It'slikeyou wantmeto dropthem ...and show you ifIstillhave

testicles.'' Later,when told thatwith ttthe help thatyou have given us forso long ...you m ust

have a greatpairofballsnotto be w onied,''R O CH A replied:i'lhavethem -1have them .''

67. ROCHA promiscd theUC that,ifthere werean investigation,he knew l'how to

handleit''andassured theUC:t:1klzow how to defendmyself...ihavetheintelligence ...and

1have the know ledge. Im ean ...in the course ofm y duties,how m any tim es did 1m eetwith -

w ith them ...to answerquestions ...lknow how itworksthe -the system .''

68, R OC HA stated to the U C thattûInever- neverhave in 40 years puta Com pasero

in danger. O rothers,never. And there are certain rules ...from thistype ofw ork that,be itus,

bethem,betheRussians...Sothen,whoeverisinamissiondoesn'tseetheotheroneinanother.

Thatissimplyano,becauseitjeopardizeseverything.''
69. R O CH A prom ised theU C that1(1protect- lprotecteverything thathasbeen done,

Ihavealwaysprotecteditand willprotectitand1know how toprotectit.''

70. ROCHA madearrangementsto meettheUC afourth time on December8,2023,

also selecting backup dates.

Diplom aticSeeuritvSenziceInterview on Decem ber1,2023

71. OnDecember1,2023,,woDiplomaticSecurity Service(ç1DSS'')agentsfrom the

D oS conducted a consensual,voluntary interview of RO CH A . D uring the D SS interview ,

RO CH A lied repeatedly. For exam ple,he denied ever having m et som eone with the U C's

description,even afterbeing show n a picture of the U C. W hen R O CH A was show n a picture

16

k
Case 1:23-mj-04368-EGT Document 1 Entered on FLSD Docket 12/04/2023 Page 19 of 22

ofihim sitting acroysfrom theU C during oneoftheirm eetings,R O CHA said the U C approached

him,butonetimeonly.W hentoldtheintcrviewcrspossessed infonuation thathe metwiththe

UC onm orethan oneOccasion,ROCHA stated hedid notwantto com ment.

Sum m arv ofC rim inalV iolations Supported bv Probable C auge

72. Title 18,United StatesCode,Section 951makesitunlawfulfora person to act

within the United States as an agent of a foreign govermnentwithoutpriornotitication to the

Attorney General;inrelevantpart,thestatutedefinesanagentasapersonwhoactsidsubjectto
thedirectiön orcontrol''ofthe foreign government.Title 18,United StatesCode,Section 371

m akes it unlawful for a person to conspire to com m it an offense against the U nited States,

including to violate Section 951.

73. ROCHA,aided by unnam ed conspirators within Cuba's intelligence services,

agreed to actand did actasa clandestine agentofthe Cuban governm entduring atleastthe

periodof1981(whenROCHA startedatDoS)throughthepresent.
74. 'rhe audio and video-recorded conversations sum m arized above in them selves

establish unequivocally thatROCHA,in hisown words,hmsactedfordecadesasacovertagent

oftheD G1.
Case 1:23-mj-04368-EGT Document 1 Entered on FLSD Docket 12/04/2023 Page 20 of 22

Throughout the m eetings, R O CH A behaved as a Cuban agent. R O CH A

consistently referred to the United States asisthe enemy,''and used theterm ttwe''to describe

him selfand Cuba.R O CH A additionally praised FidelCastro asthe lscom andantes''andrefen-ed

to his contacts in Cuban intelligence as hisSdcompaseros''(comrades) and to the Cuban

intelligenceservicesasthedcDirecciöny''tell-taletermsused byCuban operatives.

76. ROCH A also m ade other statements during the meetings thatthe investigation

confirm ed to be true. For example,in the N ovem ber 2022 m eeting,RO CH A described the

ûdm om entthat1 lived through itbecause 1 was in charge,it was the knock down ofthe sm all

planes ...That was a tim e ofa lotof tension,...that was the tim e ofthe ... tBrothers to the

Rescue' and other sim ilar people who were pushing politics towards unnecessm'
y

provocations.'' In fact,from approxim ately July 1995 until July 1997, as a D oS em ployee,

RO C HA served as Deputy PrincipalOfficer atthe United States Interests Section in Havana.

The incidentthatRO CH A described as the tçknock down oftbe sm allplanes''occulmed during

histenure,in Febnlary 1996,w hen Cuba shotdown two unarm ed aip lanesoperated by m em bers

ofBrothersto the Rescue,aU.s.-based group opposed to Castro'sgovenlment,andkilled four

m en,

77. Sim ilarly, during the N ovem ber 2022 m eeting, RO CH A adm itted traveling to

Cuba in :$2016 or2017''to m eetw ith hisD GIhandlersin H avana,and said that,to getthere,he

traveled viaPanam a and entered CubadGasaD om inican.'' Travelrecordsconfirm thatin January

2017,RO CH A travelto Cuba exactly as he described to the U C. Specifically,on January 2,

20l7,using a U nited States passportbearing num ber 530963729,R O CH A tlew f'rom M iam i

InternaticmalA im ortin M inmi,Florida to Santo Dom ingo,Dom inican Republic. On January 3,

Case 1:23-mj-04368-EGT Document 1 Entered on FLSD Docket 12/04/2023 Page 21 of 22

2017,using hisDominican Republic passportinstead ofa U.S.passpolt ROCHA flew from

Santo Dom ingo to Panam a City,Panam a and then from Panam a City to Havana,Cuba. On

Janual'y 7,2017,using hisDominican passport.ROCHA flew back from Havana to Panama

City,and then to Santo Dom ingo. He subsequently flew back to M iamion January 8,2017,

usinghisUnited Statespassportbearingnumber530963729.Notably,justtwomonthsearlier,
in November2016,ROCHA traveled to Havana directly from M iam ionhisU.S.passport.He

did so againOn hisU.S.passport,again directly from M iami,in November2017.On neithezof

thoseoccasionsdidheuSeaDom inicanpassportortraveltoHavanaviatheDominicanRepublic

orPanam a ashe did in January 2017.

78. Sim ply put,R O CH A 'S activitiesw ith,and adm issionsto,theU C,corroborated by

otherevidencefrom theinvestigation,proveheconspiredwiththeDGItoact,andhascontinued

to actto this day,asan agentofa foreign governm entcontral'y to Sectitm 951.

R OC HA also violated Title 18,U nited States Code,Section 1542 while traveling

toandfrom CubainJarmary2017,asjustdescribed.Section 1542,insummary,makesunlawful

to willfully and knowingly use a passportwhose issuance was secured by reason of a false

statem ent.

80. Atthe startofhistrip to Havana to lneetwith the DGI,as confirm ed by travel

records,ROCHA used hisUnited Statespassportbearing number530963729to fly initially to

Santo Dom ingo. R O CH A secured that U .S.passportin 2016,based upon an application for

U.S,passportdated February 24,2016. In thatapplication,ROCHA declared underpenalty of

perjury thathehad notCtsince acquiring United States citizenship/nationality ...accepted or

perform ed the duties ofany office,postorem ploym entunderthe governm entofa foreign state

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Case 1:23-mj-04368-EGT Document 1 Entered on FLSD Docket 12/04/2023 Page 22 of 22

or politicalsubdivision thereof.'' For the reasons discussed above,and based upon his own

words,thisstatem entwasfalse,since ROCHA hasfordccadesserved asacovel'

tagentoftht

Cuban governm ent. RO CH A therefore violated Section l542 when he used the (J.S.passport

obtainedviathatfalsestatementto(1)travelfrom M iamitoSantoDomingoonJanuary2,2017,
and(2)tore-entertheUnited StatesatM iamiIntelmationalAirportonJanuary8,2017.
C ON CLUSIO N

81. Based upon a11ofthe foregoing,1respectfully subm itthatthisaffidavitestablishes

probable cause to believethatROCHA:(1)beginning no laterthan November 1981to the

prtsent:conspiredtoviolate l8U.S.C.9951,in violation 1sU.S.C.j 371'
,(2)begirmingno
laterthanNovember1921tothepresent,violated 18U.S.C.j951;(3)onoraboutJanuary2,
2017,violated 12U.S.C,j1542;and(4)onoraboutJanuary8,2017,violated 18U.S.C.j1542
FU RTH ER YOUR AFFIAN T SAYETH N A UGH T.

1 H AEL H A
SPECIAL A GEN T
FEDEM L BU REA U O F W V ESTIGA TION

Sw orn and subscribed before m e this 1stday öfDecem ber2023.

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