Enraged to the point that his fist was clenched in a tight ball, Hanssen ran through his usual list of insults Idiot! FBI leadership decided Hanssen needed to be removed from his temporary position and brought back to FBI Headquarters. In about 1985, after they had moved back to Washington and Mr. Hanssen was working at F.B.I. He compromised the security of his country and put the lives of colleagues in danger. Hanssen pled guilty to 15 counts of espionage on July 6, 2001. '', ''I have very supportive friends, who have been tremendous,'' Mrs. Hanssen said. He could sit in his office and shut the door. The information he delivered compromised numerous human sources, counterintelligence techniques, investigations, dozens of classified U.S. government documents, and technical operations of extraordinary importance and value. 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. Hanssen reportedly lavished cash and gifts on a Washington stripper whom he befriended. They bought a modest, three-bedroom home in Yorktown Heights, N.Y., north of New York City. 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. The Spy Who Loved Spying A good spy needs a good cover, and Hanssen had one of the best. At least three Russian agents he identified had been executed, and it was suspected that he compromised dozens of intelligence operations. (2020, August 28). Bokhan. Fourth, there is the case of Robert Philip Hanssen, a top-level FBI agent responsible for counterintelligence in the US, who spied for the Russians from 1979 until his arrest in February 2001. The attorney estimated that Hanssen contributed $10,000 to $20,000 to Mother Teresa in small installments over the years, although the FBI has not been able to verify the payments. One notable example was the information that the Americans had dug a tunnel under the Russian embassy in Washington to install sophisticated listening devices. Its the one scrap of power hes kept for himself.. In this assignment, however, Hanssen did continue to have access to sensitive FBI information as he remained assigned to the FBIs National Security Division and routinely dealt with sensitive and classified matters. One reason for her frustration may be that some government officials were apparently not convinced of her story. by Tammy A. DiNicola. The agencies initially focused primarilyand incorrectlyon a veteran CIA case officer, who was investigated for nearly two years. ''I just wish somebody would say that my husband never told me he was spying,'' Mrs. Hanssen said in frustration in a telephone interview this week. While other spies were still chasing after paper files, Hanssen had entered the digital world. She is also challenging some of her husbands credit card bills. I never want you in my office again, Hanssen said. In that case, Hanssen would immediately know why no one stole cars from the FBI garage and there was no telling how the almost certainly armed Hanssen would react. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. 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. The FBI entrusted him with some of the most sensitive secrets of the United States Government and instead of being humbled by this honor, Hanssen has allegedly abused and betrayed that trust. One eye twitched.. That fall, Mr. Hanssen was transferred back to New York as a supervisor in charge of a counterintelligence squad. I always liked writing privately in journals, but writing publicly is new. ONeill rushed everything he found to Alleman, who had all of it copied, and then quickly returned the contents to Hanssens bag. He didnt see the PalmPilot, but there was a messenger bag and it was a jackpot: full of data disks, financial statements, a passport and a second cellphone. Here was ONeills opportunity to push Hanssen to his limits. Asked what Bonnie Hanssen thinks may have motivated her husband, Brookner said: Who knows? He wanted to interview Hanssen for the book but was refused. Regrettably, I stand here today both saddened and outraged. McNamara, Robert. The tension would not lessen over the next few days, with Hanssen telling ONeill he was a worthless clerk.. Russian operatives left signals for Hanssen at Foxstone Park in Vienna, Va. She said she told the bureau the same thing immediately after her husband's arrest last year. "I have opened the door for calumny against my totally innocent wife and children. I have hurt so many deeply." Hanssen, who began working with Soviet military intelligence in 1979, was. He was Amazon.com's first-ever history editor and has bylines in New York, the Chicago Tribune, and other national outlets. John Cusack plays the villain in the movie, and if youre curious to know, let me tell you that the story is inspired by the serial killer Robert Hansen. 91 Followers. By Sherri Day. Please be aware how deeply Mrs. Hanssen regrets the damage that her husband, Robert Hanssen, has caused to our country and to their family, the statement said. Robert Philip Hanssen had drifted through several false starts in life before he settled in at the FBI. 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. His most notorious attack was when he planted three pipe bombs filled with nails in the main square of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, killing 44-year-old Alice Hawthorne, causing a fatal heart attack for 40-year-old Melih Uzunyol, and injuring over a hundred others. Hanssen checked the sign three times that night. ALEXANDRIA, Virginia (CNN) -- Apologizing before a U.S. federal judge, former FBI agent Robert Hanssen was sentenced Friday to life in prison without parole for spying for the Soviet Union and. Only David Wise could tell the astonishing, full story, and he does so, in masterly style, in Spy. July 6, 2001 - Pleads guilty to 15 counts of espionage and conspiracy in exchange for the government not seeking the death penalty. Playing to Hanssens ego, the underling, a newlywed, said he needed relationship advice about his wife wanting to wait to have children. 1981 - Hanssens wife catches him with classified documents and convinces him to stop spying. She told Sergeant Flothe (the man who played a pivotal role in Hansens capture) that their income streams were separate and that Hansen would spend the money from the bakery on his own needs. It was not a very demanding job, said Sullivan. (AP Photo/Doug Mills) In all, by the time he was arrested in February 2001, Hanssen collected an estimated $1.4 million for giving lists of American undercover agents abroad, the identities of Russian double agents, documents showing the U.S. was intercepting Soviet satellite transmission and the methods by which the U.S . The arrest of Robert Hanssen by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on charges of counterespionage represents a major crisis for the US intelligence apparatus. Moron! But Hanssen couldn't afford the lifestyle that he thought he deserved. The priest told Hanssen to stop his illegal activities and donate the money he had gotten from the Russians to charity. But Mr. Hanssen was not tricking the Russians; he was a Russian spy and had been working for the G.R.U., Soviet military intelligence, since 1979. ONeill, 46, left the FBI in May 2001. Should I get him to confess?. Robert Hanssen, FBI Agent Who Became a Soviet Mole. Sullivan noted that Hanssen spent a lot of time trolling ACS for information. I told him I thought it was insane.''. Darla, who had a masters degree in Education, would earn her own income by teaching learning disabled kids. The past few weeks have uncovered many allegations of FBI agent Robert Hanssen's betrayals: unmasking U.S. agents working in Russia and exposing a multimillion dollar American . I scooped the devices into my arms and sprinted for the stairway, writes ONeill, who refers to this as his one true James Bond moment. General Polyakov had been spying for the United States since the early 1960's, but soon after Mr. Hanssen told the Russians of this, General Polyakov was forced to retire and was later executed. But from the vantage of the media, "happens to be" applies only to Pollard: Hanssen is fast-becoming known as "the Catholic spy.". Minutes later, ONeill extracted it from the mans bag, along with a floppy disc and a flash drive, running everything downstairs for a tech team to copy. '', See the article in its original context from. Once he got caught, the only thing he cared about was trying to provide for his wife and his children, who visit him regularly in prison, Brookner said. The double agent was arrested (above right) in 2001 by the FBI after leaving intel for them under a bridge in the park. May 10, 2002 Posted: 11:59 AM EDT (1559 GMT) Former FBI agent Robert Hanssen. On 18 February 2001, Robert Hanssen was arrested and charged with committing espionage on behalf of the intelligence services of the former Soviet Union and its successors. A few years later, they moved to Anchorage, Alaska, and had two children. It is also one which can turn ingenious quickly, like an idiot savant, once convinced of a goal.. The criminal conduct alleged represents the most traitorous actions imaginable against a country governed by the Rule of Law. In order to put the double-crosser away forever, ONeill would need to put his life on the line again. appreciated. Senior FBI officials described him as . For decades, the quirky but respected counterintelligence expert, religious family man, and father of six, sold top secret information to agents of the Soviet Union and Russia. He became an agent in 1976, and spent two years working in the Indianapolis, Indiana, field office. He pleaded guilty to 13 counts of espionage plus two related counts and was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. In October 1985, he volunteered to spy for the K.G.B., the Soviet intelligence agency, by sending an anonymous letter to a K.G.B. Before her May 7 polygraph test began, Justice Department investigators read Mrs. Hanssen her Miranda rights, her Washington lawyer, Janine Brookner, said. During his 15 years as an alleged Russian mole, Robert Hanssen had access to many vital . A TV movie called Master Spy: The Robert Hanssen Story was released in 2002. The data-some 6000 pages of highly classified documents-revealed . She said she repeatedly questioned her husband to ensure that he was making the payments, and each time he insisted that he was. Anything else while were at it? Serial killer Robert Hansen confessed to killing 17 women in Alaska over a 12-year span, all while married with two children. In one deadly instance in 1985, the FBI believed Hanssen exposed three KGB agents working for the Americans. A lock () or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. 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.. As they took him into custody, Hanssen turned to one and said, What took you so long?. He will report directly to the Attorney General and me and we will share his report with the National Security Council and Congress. Joining the FBI in the height of the Cold War, Robert Hanssen dreamed of the exciting life of a spy. Thanks for contacting us. Apparently, even though Hansen was naturally a left-handed person, he was always forced to use his right hand, making his speech problems worse. He betrayed his God. The FBI also obtains the complete original KGB dossier on Hanssen. While not identifying himself, he was able to gain their trust by initially providing information which the Soviets found both credible and valuable. A self-taught computer expert, Hansen often encrypted his stolen files on wafer-thin disks. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Id say insanely loyal, Hanssen wrote. Suit David Huband Photographer Catherine Burdon Agent Nece Hanssen wanted to be posted to Allenwood in hopes that he might be visited frequently by his wife Bonnie and their six children. At the time, he was assigned to counterintelligence in the F.B.I. Father Bucciarelli came up with a plan to save Mr. Hanssen from prison, Mrs. Hanssen told investigators during the polygraph test, her lawyer said. On this day in history (February 18), one of the most famous and damaging insiders within the FBI, Robert Philip Hanssen was arrested. Today, Mrs. Hanssen is teaching at a Catholic school in suburban Virginia and is living in the house she shared with her husband and their six children. But the government could not prove he had lied, and wishing to avoid a public trial, the government chose not to void his plea agreement. Guilty plea would mean life term, money for family By Naftali Bendavid . In the 1990s, after the arrest of Aldrich Ames, the FBI and CIA realized that a mole within the intelligence community was still sharing classified information with the Russians. Over the next few years, she said, she questioned him about whether he was working with the Russians once more. His Russian contacts and Hanssen were highly trained in espionage techniques and were able to work together without ever meeting. During his second round of dealing with Russian agents, Hanssen was much more cautious. He was arrested while in the process of using a dead drop to clandestinely provide numerous classified documents to his Russian handler. To be very clear on this issue, at no time was he authorized to communicate information to agents of the KGB/SVR. 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.. According to . News reports at the time of his sentencing said American intelligence agencies were not entirely satisfied with the extent of his cooperation and believed he was holding back information. Our hearts go out to them. I imagined I could smell gunpowder on his breath, ONeill writes. The FBI trusted him with some of the most sensitive secrets of the U.S. government, and instead of upholding that trust, he abused and betrayed it. Under Mr. Hanssen's plea bargain, she. The purloined PalmPilot gave the FBI the final piece of the puzzle: Hanssens next meeting with the Russians was scheduled for the following weekend. His troubles with the law continued in Anchorage as well. Warmer storms could cause problems, Jaguars, narcos, illegal loggers: One mans battle to save a jungle and Maya ruins, Dr. Simi is a TikTok star. We dont know at this point what happened to that money, she said. Authorities said they are convinced that Bonnie Hanssen--unlike the wives of several other notorious U.S. spies who helped their husbands--was not involved in Hanssens spying. When these two KGB officials returned to Moscow, they were tried and convicted on espionage charges and executed. Director Louis Freeh discusses the arrest of veteran FBI agent Robert Philip Hanssen on spy charges. Hanssen received payments of $1.4 million in cash and diamonds from the information he gave the Soviet Union and Russia. That effort is complemented by substantial FBI proactive investigation of foreign service intelligence officers here and by the critical work done by the CIA. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. This would be the first of many heart-stopping requests from Alleman. Because of his experience and training as a counterintelligence agent, Hanssen went undetected for years, although some of his unusual activities had aroused suspicion from time to time. Realizing the importance of the material, the United States paid $7 million for it. The Robert Hanssen Story" was released in 2002. This story has been shared 149,018 times. I live in Dallas, TX and growing up I was always the kid with "her nose in a book". 2023 Cable News Network. Hanssen appeared to be a devoted anti-communist. He pleaded guilty to 15 counts of espionage in July 2001 and was sentenced to prison without the possibility of parole. ONeill would have no problem achieving that but he did have a major concern. In January 2001, Hanssen moved into a small office in FBI Headquarters secretly outfitted with surveillance cameras and microphones. But while agents moved and searched Hanssens car, he unexpectedly cut the meeting short, stalking out and leaving ONeill no time to notify Alleman. February 18 marks the 20th anniversary of the arrest of Robert Hanssen, one of the most damaging spies in U.S. history. Hanssen's guilty plea involved 15 counts of espionage and conspiracy. I raised my chin and met his eyes, puffed out my chest and stood with my feet shoulder-width apart. Long-lost ship found at the bottom of Lake Huron, confirming story of tragic collision, TikTok to set default daily time limit of up to 60 minutes for minors, The chance of a lifetime: Five friends ski the tallest mountain in Los Angeles, Shocking, impossible gas bills push restaurants to the brink of closures, TikTok faces bans in a number of countries over security fears. One day in February, when Hanssen was away, ONeill took a risk and snuck into his boss office. His father was a supernumerary part of the 75% while his uncle was a numerary, part of the 25% that swore to a life of poverty and chastity. We believe it was exceptionally grave. Robert Hanssen betrayed the FBI. Robert Philip Hanssen, a 27 year veteran of the FBI, was a double agent. Under the plea agreement, Hanssen is obligated to return the $1.4 million in spying proceeds to the government, but Brookner said she doubts that will ever happen. Their goal was to catch Hanssen red handed in espionage. His tale was also made into the 2007 movie Breach.. Updated Hanssen is a Special Agent of the FBI with a long career in counterintelligence. The damage Hanssen did was considerable. The answer shocked ONeill, then 26. Investigators learned that Hanssen was set to make a dead drop on February 18, 2001. The complaint alleges that he received over $600,000. Hanssen parked on a residential street and walked down a wooded path to a footbridge with the classified materials wrapped in a plastic bag. Two were executed. To get the ball rolling, Hanssen was promoted from a desk job at the State Department and ONeill was given a role as Hanssens assistant. 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