The United States has been grappling with the unsettling reality of communist infiltration, a situation that has barely been explored.

The case of the former U.S. ambassador to Bolivia, Victor Manuel Rocha, suggests that the infiltration may be more extensive than previously thought.

Rocha, who served in several high-ranking positions in embassies worldwide and even at the White House during Bill Clinton's administration, was a Colombian-born US career diplomat. He portrayed himself as a 'Cuba hardliner', a staunch opponent of the Fidel Castro regime. However, his more than two decades of 'public service' were, in fact, dedicated to the Cuban Communist dictatorship.

The former ambassador to Bolivia has now been sentenced to 15 years in Federal prison. As reported by the New York Post, "Miami-based U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom accepted Victor Manuel Rocha's guilty plea on two counts, including acting as an agent of a foreign government, before handing down his decade-and-a-half-long sentence and a $500,000 fine, the maximum penalty allowed."

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Rocha was indicted last December after serving Cuba in a mission he described as 'enormous' and one that 'strengthened the Revolution immensely'. Attorney General Merrick Garland characterized the case as 'one of the highest-reaching and longest-lasting infiltrations of the U.S. government by a foreign agent' – a statement that could be appended with 'that we know of so far'.

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Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen stated on Friday, "Today's plea and sentencing brings to an end more than four decades of betrayal and deceit by the defendant. Rocha admitted to acting as an agent of the Cuban government at the same time he held numerous positions of trust in the U.S. government, a staggering betrayal of the American people and an acknowledgement that every oath he took to the United States was a lie."

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Even after leaving the State Department, Rocha continued his espionage activities, serving as an advisor to the U.S. Southern Command, which includes Cuba in its area of responsibility. The Department of Justice revealed that Rocha gained access to nonpublic and classified information and, alarmingly, developed the ability to influence US foreign policy.

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"Rocha admitted that his involvement with Cuba's intelligence service began in 1973 and continued until the time of his arrest – spanning his entire career in government," the Department of Justice reported. "He was arrested after a series of meetings with undercover FBI agents posing as Cuban intelligence officials, during which Rocha acknowledged the 'decades' of spying he had done on behalf of Cuba, spanning '40 years.' Rocha referred to the U.S. as 'the enemy' and praised the late Cuban dictator Fidel Castro during his meetings with the undercover FBI agents."

Despite the gravity of Rocha's actions, the Department of Justice did not charge him with espionage, a crime that is more challenging to prove but would have resulted in a harsher sentence.