[2][3][4] Rocha was born on October 23, 1950, in Bogotá, Colombia,[1][5] and grew up in the Morningside Heights housing projects in Harlem, New York City.

At one time, Rocha was also a member of Henry Kissinger's International Council on Terrorism and was on the advisory board of the Cuba Transition Project of the University of Miami.

He was Director of Government Relations for Arcos Dorados Holdings, the company that owns and manages most of the McDonald's restaurants in Latin America.

He was a senior advisor on International Business for American law firm Foley & Lardner LLP, with his office in Miami, and president of Barrick Gold Corp. Pueblo Viejo, in the Dominican Republic.

[12] Upon learning of the U.S. government's criminal charges against Rocha for acting as an illegal foreign agent for Cuba, his employment was terminated.

On December 1, 2023, Rocha was arrested in Miami, Florida, where he was living, and charged with acting as an illegal agent of the Cuban government.

[1][14] In a video recorded by an undercover agent, Rocha praised Fidel Castro, called the United States the "enemy", and boasted about spying for over 40 years.

[16] According to the criminal complaint, Rocha said that he was instructed by Cuba to "lead a normal life", and created a fictitious persona of a "right-wing person".