Hanssen checked the sign three times that night. During his 15 years as an alleged Russian mole, Robert Hanssen had access to many vital . Their goal was to catch Hanssen red handed in espionage. He began providing the Soviets with highly valuable material. July 6, 2001 - Pleads guilty to 15 counts of espionage and conspiracy in exchange for the government not seeking the death penalty. https://www.thoughtco.com/robert-hanssen-4587832 (accessed March 1, 2023). Robert J. McNamara is a history expert and former magazine journalist. Heres a look at the life of convicted spy Robert Hanssen. He was sentenced to life in prison. Expert interviews recount Hanssen's life, how he stayed hidden for over 20 years, and the events leading to his arrest. Hanssen became alarmed that a Russian with knowledge of his activities would tip off the Americans that a highly placed mole was operating within the FBI and the resultant investigation would lead to him. Discovery Company. Hanssen subsequently was assigned to a variety of national security posts that legitimately provided him access to classified information relating to the former Soviet Union and Russia. A Justice Department spokesman, citing the inspector general's continuing review of the Hanssen case, refused to comment. In it he betrayed three Soviet officers who were working for the Central Intelligence Agency and the bureau. The Department of Justice described his espionage as one of the worst in United States History. A turning point came in 2000, when the FBI and CIA were able to secure original Russian documentation of an American spy who appeared to be Hanssen. McNamara, Robert. Robert P. Hanssen, the former F.B.I. An FBI arrest team moved into position at Foxstone Park, a location where Hanssen had been spotted before by FBI surveillance. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 Hanssen became much more wary. The Hanssen case was regarded as a low point for the FBI, especially as Hanssen had been so trusted and had committed such betrayals for so many years. On May 10, 2002, Robert Philip Hanssen was sentenced to life in prison without parole. officer based in Washington. Robert Phillip Hanssen was born in Chicago, Illinois, on April 18, 1944. Troubled by the incident, Bonnie Hanssen made her husband speak with a Catholic priest, who directed him to contribute money to Mother Teresa, the Catholic nun who ran a Calcutta charitable organization, as a form of penance, Brookner said. May 16, 2001 - Is indicted on 21 counts of spying for the Soviet Union/Russia and passing top secret material to the Soviet Union/Russia. Bonnie Hanssens first public statements on the case reveal both her anxiety over her husbands actions and her sense of relief over the fact that she and her six children will retain an estimated $39,000 a year from his government pension. Hanssen made the donation to a charity affiliated with Mother Teresa, and cut off contact with the Soviets for the next few years. Imbecile! Under Mr. Hanssen's plea bargain, she will receive the survivor's part of his bureau pension, as well as the right to keep the home. When the news media reported that alleged spy Robert Hanssen was a member of Opus Dei back in 2001, many wondered how Hanssen could provide sensitive information to communists, when Opus Dei has always seemed to be so vehemently opposed to communism. His case is considered one of America's greatest intelligence failures, as Hanssen operated as a mole within the bureau's counterintelligence division, the highly sensitive part of the FBI tasked with tracking foreign spies. As an agency, we lived up to our responsibility, regardless of how painful it might be. At least two movies have been made about Hanssen. What we wanted to do was get enough evidence to convict him, and the ultimate aim was to catch him in the act, said Debra Evans Smith, a former deputy assistant director of the Counterintelligence Division. He often steered conversations to talk of religion and his very conservative values, which were aligned with the very conservative Catholic organization Opus Dei. by Tammy A. DiNicola. Robert Hanssen is a family man, devout Catholic, career FBI agent, and the most damaging spy in American history. The Spy Who Loved Spying A good spy needs a good cover, and Hanssen had one of the best. agent who confessed to selling secrets to Moscow, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole today by a . But in her polygraph test, Mrs. Hanssen denied finding any large and unexplained amounts of money in her home, and the polygraph showed that she was not being deceptive, her lawyer said. Much of what these men and women did remains undisclosed but their success and that of their CIA counterparts represents unparalleled expertise and dedication to both principle and mission. As it turned out, Hanssen had just been spotted by agents driving at a snails pace past the sign for Foxstone Park in Vienna, Va. The evidence against him was overwhelming, and to avoid the death penalty, Hanssen confessed and agreed to be debriefed by American intelligence officials. He wrote to them anonymously. Robert Hanssen Ryan Phillippe Eric O'Neill Dennis Haysbert Dean Plesac Laura Linney Kate Burroughs Caroline Dhavernas Juliana O'Neill Gary Cole Rich Garces Kathleen Quinlan Bonnie Hanssen Bruce Davison John O'Neill Jonathan Watton Geddes Tom Barnett Jim Olsen Jonathan Potts D.I.A. As alleged in the complaint, computer forensic analysis, substantial covert surveillance, court authorized searches and other sensitive techniques revealed that Hanssen has routinely accessed FBI records and clandestinely provided those records and other classified information to Russian intelligence officers. January 12, 2001 - Hanssen is reassigned from counterintelligence to an obscure office at FBI headquarters. The investigation of Hanssen was conducted by the FBI in partnership with the CIA, the Department of State, and, of course, the Justice Department. But Thursday, Bonnie Hanssen issued a statement through her attorney revealing the torment that the case has caused. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Hanssen refused. (They took Hanssens Ford and the plan to search his car was dropped for the time being.). He has never answered that question for anyone. agent sentenced to life in prison on Friday after he pleaded guilty to spying for Moscow off and on for more than 20 years. In 1980, after his first interactions with the Soviets, Hanssen told his wife what he had done, and she suggested they meet with a Catholic priest. I have hurt so many deeply." Hanssen, who began working with Soviet military intelligence in 1979, was. In short, the trusted insider betrayed his trust without detection. Robert Hanssen betrayed the FBI. The arrest of Robert Hanssen by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on charges of counterespionage represents a major crisis for the US intelligence apparatus. He looked the quintessential suburban dad, devoted to his wife and six kids, working a government job to. I raised my chin and met his eyes, puffed out my chest and stood with my feet shoulder-width apart. He then applied and was accepted into the FBI. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Our hearts go out to them. Hanssen was finally discovered when a former KGB agent contacted American intelligence agents. Further, the complaint alleges that Hanssen, using his training and experience to protect himself from discovery by the FBI, never met face-to-face with his Russian handlers, never revealed to them his true identity or where he worked, constantly checked FBI records for signs he and the drop sites he was using were being investigated, refused any foreign travel to meet with the Russians, and even declined to accept any trade craft. Hanssen never displayed outward signs that he was receiving large amounts of unexplained cash. Intelligence officials began debriefing Hanssen this week, defense attorney Preston Burton said Thursday. Make him angry. They had two children together and were respected members of the community. Yet Brookner said Bonnie Hanssen has no intention of divorcing her husband. The crimes alleged are an affront not only to his fellow FBI employees but to the American people, not to mention the pain and suffering he has brought upon his family. Spy's Wife Speaks, After Taking a Lie Test, https://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/16/us/spy-s-wife-speaks-after-taking-a-lie-test.html. Robert Hanssen, a church-going family man and FBI agent for 25 years, was actually working as a Soviet spy for well over 20 years. But Hanssen couldn't afford the lifestyle that he thought he deserved. Why are we still having these debates? Hanssen is a Special Agent of the FBI with a long career in counterintelligence. In the early 1980s, Hanssen was transferred to FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C. To his colleagues in the bureau he seemed to be a model agent. Today's protagonist, Robert Hanssen, was an FBI agent who served his country for 20 years. Hanssen would now be ONeills boss. By February 2001, about 300 personnel were working the investigation and monitoring Hanssen. In 1985 he approached the Soviets again and offered valuable secrets. They have committed their lives to public service and to upholding the high standards of the FBI. He wears a revolver in an ankle holster and keeps an automatic [weapon] in his desk., In response, Alleman took a sip of her coffee to hide her smile., Fine, ONeill said. He pleaded guilty to 13 counts of espionage plus two related counts and was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Who were Robert Hansen's wives and children? Literally, Hanssens colleagues and coworkers at the FBI conducted this investigation and did so quietly, securely and without hesitation. That fall, Mr. Hanssen was transferred back to New York as a supervisor in charge of a counterintelligence squad. The answer shocked ONeill, then 26. In her statement, Bonnie Hanssen thanked government officials for allowing her to retain the pension and for recognizing that she and the children clearly are innocent victims.. He later wrote to his KGB handler, speaking about the severity with which U.S. laws punishes his alleged actions, and acknowledging I know far better than most what minefields are laid and the risks.. To get Hanssen back to FBI Headquarters where he could be closely monitored, Neil Gallagher, assistant director of the National Security Division at the time, called Hanssen to inform him of a bogus assignment to serve on his staff as a special assistant for a technology project. robert hanssen children. He will report directly to the Attorney General and me and we will share his report with the National Security Council and Congress. Since he held key counterintelligence positions, he had authorized access to classified information. Robert Hanssen moments after being arrested. She said she had none, and the polygraph showed no indication of deception, Ms. Brookner said. All three were arrested; two were executed. By ABC News. The premise of The Frozen Ground is that a state trooper, played by Nicolas Cage, teams up with a surviving victim of a serial killerto bring him down. The affidavit alleges that Hanssen voluntarily became an agent of the KGB in 1985 while assigned to the intelligence division at the FBI field office in New York City as supervisor of a foreign counterintelligence squad. A lock () or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. If the device wasnt in Hanssens hand or on the desk in front of him, it was always in his left back pocket. Pressed to explain what he was doing, she said, he acknowledged that he was dealing with the Russians. Without the current unprecedented level of trust and cooperation between the CIA and FBI, making this case would not have been possible. In return, he received large sums of money and other remuneration. In hindsight, serial killers often have traits in common and show signs of their adult inclinations as children. 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