Robert Hanssen is a former FBI agent who sold highly classified material to Russian intelligence agents for decades before he was finally arrested in 2001. A TV movie called Master Spy: The Robert Hanssen Story was released in 2002. The FBI believed this was his signal site where the Russians would signal when they were ready to receive his intel. ''Most of the people who think ill of me don't know me. On May 10, 2002, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Hanssen lived in suburban Virginia, was married, and had six children; he was a devout Catholic who went to Mass every week, sometimes every day. He worked as a policeman in Chicago for three years and was placed on an elite unit that investigated corruption. Timeline. Its amazing to live with a man for all those years and not know him.. 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. As Hanssen walked back to his car, the arrest team rushed up and took him into custody. One eye twitched.. This story has been shared 149,018 times. Hanssen gave them the name of a Russian general, Dimitri Polyakov, who had been providing information to the Americans. None of the internal information or personnel security measures in place alerted those charged with internal security to his activities. But money is. The investigation of Hanssen was conducted by the FBI in partnership with the CIA, the Department of State, and, of course, the Justice Department. They drove to New Rochelle to meet with the Rev. '', She said her greatest ambition was to resume some form of normal life, adding, ''I would just like to disappear. In return, he received large sums of money and other remuneration. A few years later, they moved to Anchorage, Alaska, and had two children. Hanssen was detailed to the Office of Foreign Missions at the Department of State from 1995 to 2000. Out of all the lingering scandals in Washington,. He also expressed his trademark annoyance. With two children already out of school, the pension money will help Bonnie Hanssen support two children who are in college and two more still in high school, Brookner said. Before getting caught in 2001 and sentenced to life in prison, he sold thousands of pages of sensitive material to the Soviet Union and ruined massive U.S. intelligence plans. A Warner Bros. His father, Howard, had reportedly belittled, bullied, and berated the boy from childhood to his college years at Knox College, 200 miles away from his home in Chicago. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. As a devout Catholic, Bonnie Hanssen feels that he needs time [in prison] to pray for forgiveness and be redeemed in some way, the wifes attorney, Janine Brookner, said in an interview. She would then use this money to run her house and support her children. 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. An FBI arrest team moved into position at Foxstone Park, a location where Hanssen had been spotted before by FBI surveillance. .) And there was more than a touch of obvious paranoia: My security concerns have proven reality-based, Hanssen wrote. He often steered conversations to talk of religion and his very conservative values, which were aligned with the very conservative Catholic organization Opus Dei. 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. 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. robert hanssen children. But dont be fooled by that appearance. ONeill quickly replaced the items and ran out of the office. Hanssen, in full blowhard mode, got back in the car and the two took the slow route as he lectured ONeill. To be very clear on this issue, at no time was he authorized to communicate information to agents of the KGB/SVR. 2:02 PM EDT, Thu April 14, 2022, FBI Agent Robert Philip Hanssen is shown in this undated file photo, released by the FBI February 20, 2001. Unlike Cold War spies of an earlier era, Hanssen claimed to have no political motivation for selling out his country. appreciated. By February 2001, about 300 personnel were working the investigation and monitoring Hanssen. As a result of these assignments within the FBI, Hanssen gained access to some of the most sensitive and highly classified information in the United States Government. In fact, her husband resumed his espionage career. One notable example was the information that the Americans had dug a tunnel under the Russian embassy in Washington to install sophisticated listening devices. had too readily accepted Mrs. Hanssen's version of events. Home; Features; Services; About; Contact; Login; Get Free Demo 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. 02 victoria warehouse manchester. While Darla suspected that he had been frequenting prostitutes, she had no idea of the literal manhunt he conducted. Should I get him to confess?. Hanssen checked the sign three times that night. Hansen even notched up a few local hunting records. Literally, Hanssens colleagues and coworkers at the FBI conducted this investigation and did so quietly, securely and without hesitation. Alleman tasked him with purloining Hanssens PalmPilot. Nor can there be any doubt that he was keenly aware of the gravity of his traitorous actions. July 6, 2001 - Pleads guilty to 15 counts of espionage and conspiracy in exchange for the government not seeking the death penalty. 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. Serial killer Robert Hansen confessed to killing 17 women in Alaska over a 12-year span, all while married with two children. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much An official website of the United States government. He pleaded guilty to 15 counts of espionage in July 2001 and was sentenced to prison without the possibility of parole. Children: Lisa, Greg, Mark, John "Jack," Sue and Jane. Pressed to explain what he was doing, she said, he acknowledged that he was dealing with the Russians. He lobbied his Russian masters to buy him a newer PalmPilot, with wireless Internet capabilities, which would allow the rapid transmission of encrypted messages. In his communications with the Russians (some of which were eventually made public after his arrest) he insisted on setting the terms of how he would communicate, pass information, and pick up money. By the time Hanssen and ONeill returned to the office, things seemed normal. The investigation that led to these charges is the direct result of the longstanding FBI/CIA efforts, ongoing since the Aldrich Ames case, to identify additional foreign penetrations of the United States Intelligence Community. Robert Philip Hanssen had drifted through several false starts in life before he settled in at the FBI. He worked as a source for the USSR and subsequently The Russian Federation. Sometime in the mid-1960s, Robert Hansen got married for the second time. Instead, he ultimately became the most damaging spy in Bureau history. Two and a half years ago, the FBI arrested Robert Hanssen, a 22-year veteran of the bureau, for selling secrets to Russia. Follow. 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. 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. May 10, 2002 - Is sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole. We've received your submission. But while agents moved and searched Hanssens car, he unexpectedly cut the meeting short, stalking out and leaving ONeill no time to notify Alleman. If he gave the money from the Soviets to charity, and promised not to spy again, he would have the priest's blessing not to report the matter to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Timeline. While the risk that an employee of the United States Government will betray his country can never be eliminated, there must be more that the FBI can do to protect itself from such an occurrence. Now 74, he is serving time at ADX Florence, the federal supermax prison in Colorado. He used encrypted communications, dead drops, and other clandestine methods to provide information to the KGB and its successor agency, the SVR. A bakery owner by trade, Hansen was also an avid outdoorsman and. Discovery Company. (The bureau wanted someone pretty green so as not to arouse suspicion.) She is also challenging some of her husbands credit card bills. 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. 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(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 . As a young man, he seemed to be seeking a way out of the blue-collar life represented by his boyhood neighborhood. 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. Robert Hanssen betrayed the FBI. Hanssen, 56, was an FBI agent for 25 . Robert Philip Hansen thought he was smarter than the system. Robert Hanssen is a family man, devout Catholic, career FBI agent, and the most damaging spy in American history. in Chemistry, 1966; Attended Northwestern University Dental School, 1966-1968;. Anything else while were at it? He also independently disclosed the identity of two KGB officials who, first compromised by Aldrich Ames, had been recruited by the U.S. Government to serve as agents in place at the Soviet Embassy in Washington. The news that he used to literally hunt women and kill them after sexually assaulting them sent shockwaves through the state of Alaska, and on occasion, even beyond its borders. For these reasons, the FBI learned of his true identity before the Russians; they are learning of it only now. At the end of the Cold War, Hanssen sold classified secrets to the Soviet and Russian intelligence services. 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. Friends of Hanssen later came forward and told journalists that Hanssen had exhibited eccentric behavior, which included an obsession with pornography. So Alleman instead asked ONeill to drive Hanssen to a meeting at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) in an FBI vehicle that way, she could have someone search Hanssens car while he was out of the office. Read more Print length 352 pages 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. Judge Webster and anyone he selects to assist him will have complete access and whatever resources are necessary to complete this task. The information he is alleged to have provided compromised numerous human sources, technical operations, counterintelligence techniques, sources and methods, and investigations, including the Felix Bloch investigation. Intelligence. 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. Brookner said that the only time Bonnie Hanssen harbored any suspicions about her husbands activities came around 1979 or 1980, when they lived in Scarsdale, N.Y. She walked in on him and he covered up some papers, so she got suspicious, Brookner said. Finally, he warned: The US can be errantly likened to a powerfully built but retarded child, potentially dangerous, but young, immature and easily manipulated. Today's protagonist, Robert Hanssen, was an FBI agent who served his country for 20 years. Hanssen received payments of $1.4 million in cash and diamonds from the information he gave the Soviet Union and Russia. Assistant Eric O'Neill (right) tells in his new book how he helped. When these two KGB officials returned to Moscow, they were tried and convicted on espionage charges and executed. [Your wifes genetic code] demands she stay home and nurture the children. FBI agents outside Robert Hanssen's home in Virginia, Feb. 20, 2001. Mrs. Hanssen insists she never knew about her husband's second, far longer and more damaging stint as a spy and never saw anything that made her suspect that he had taken up with the Russians again. All three were arrested; two were executed. Our hearts go out to them. Since he held key counterintelligence positions, he had authorized access to classified information. 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. Furthermore, she supported her husband when he was first incarcerated for theft, and then for abducting and sexually abusing a housewife and a prostitute (although the rape charge concerning the latter was dropped when he pleaded guilty.) Hanssen allegedly began spying for the Soviets in 1985 when, in his first letter to the KGB, he volunteered information that compromised several sensitive techniques. Accused FBI spy Hanssen cuts deal. The Robert Hanssen Story" was released in 2002. January 12, 2001 - Hanssen is reassigned from counterintelligence to an obscure office at FBI headquarters. Days later, ONeill helped devise another plan to get Hanssen out of the office: Two senior officers dropped in unexpectedly and said they wanted to go to the shooting practice range with Hanssen during lunch. The priest told Hanssen to stop his illegal activities and donate the money he had gotten from the Russians to charity. The US government took the death penalty off the table in exchange for Hanssens full cooperation. Although Robert Hanssen forfeited all the money he received from Moscow, his wife and six children get to keep their Vienna, Va., home and three cars, under the plea agreement. His Russian contacts and Hanssen were highly trained in espionage techniques and were able to work together without ever meeting. Born in 1939 to a father who forced him to work long hours at the family bakery while subjecting him to ridicule and mockery and a mother who . A self-taught computer expert, Hansen often encrypted his stolen files on wafer-thin disks. Hanssen pled guilty to 15 counts of espionage on July 6, 2001. The agencies initially focused primarilyand incorrectlyon a veteran CIA case officer, who was investigated for nearly two years. Upon becoming a special agent on January 12, 1976, Hanssen was transferred to the FBI's Gary, Indiana, field office. FBI and CIA personnel who debriefed Hanssen about his 21 years as a spy for Moscow found him a prickly, uncooperative character and won't be sorry to see him pulling hard time in a distant lock-up. Most of all, he betrayed himself. Only David Wise could tell the astonishing, full story, and he does so, in masterly style, in Spy. Authorities say Hanssen was driven by greed, but Brookner rejected that assertion. The couple, however, did not have a great relationship. Two were executed. In court proceedings the government stated that Hanssen had been paid more than $1.4 million during his spying career, most of which he never actually received, as it was held for him in a Russian bank. After his first wife left him, Hansen was released from prison in late 1962. June 16, 2001 -- Accused FBI spy Robert Hanssen told his wife about his activities as early as 1980, well before prosecutors claim he started passing secrets to Moscow. 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. I told him I thought it was insane.''. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Hanssen refused. Today in Security. I take solace and satisfaction, however, that the FBI succeeded in this investigation. I live in Dallas, TX and growing up I was always the kid with "her nose in a book". Director Louis Freeh discusses the arrest of veteran FBI agent Robert Philip Hanssen on spy charges. So it appears that the Justice inspector general, an independent office that monitors the department's work, was trying to determine whether the F.B.I. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Hanssen wanted to be posted to Allenwood in hopes that he might be visited frequently by his wife Bonnie and their six children. Agents find a bag nearby containing $50,000 that they believe is Hanssens payment for the documents. 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. Blood rushed to my face. 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