In this article, Hansens dynamic with his own family is discussed to give you a better insight into the life of the now-deceased murderer. I live in Dallas, TX and growing up I was always the kid with "her nose in a book". She visits her husband in prison regularly. In 1978, Hanssen was transferred to the FBI office in New York City and was assigned to a counterintelligence post. The FBI believed this was his signal site where the Russians would signal when they were ready to receive his intel. Still, he was not identified as a spy. Robert Hanssen, FBI Agent Who Became a Soviet Mole. The Soviets, suspicious of being lured into a trap, demanded to meet him. A few years later, they moved to Anchorage, Alaska, and had two children. 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. He betrayed his God. He worked as a source for the USSR and subsequently The Russian Federation. The complaint alleges that he received over $600,000. 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. Nor would many other intelligence and counterintelligence accomplishments that routinely but quietly contribute to the security of this Nation. 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. Heres a look at the life of convicted spy Robert Hanssen. December 2000 - The FBI begins surveillance of Hanssen. Judge Webster is uniquely qualified as a former FBI Director, CIA Director and Director of Central Intelligence to undertake this review. McNamara, Robert. During his 15 years as an alleged Russian mole, Robert Hanssen had access to many vital . Heart Of Darkness. May 31, 2001 - Pleads not guilty to all charges. 1972 - Joins the Chicago Police Department. Many of them were agents of the Soviet intelligence agency, the KGB, or its military counterpart, the GRU. ONeill would have no problem achieving that but he did have a major concern. 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. One might propose that I am either insanely brave or quite insane. Robert Hanssen moments after being arrested. One reason for her frustration may be that some government officials were apparently not convinced of her story. (I have come about as close as I ever want to come to sacrificing myself to help you, and I get silence. in Chemistry, 1966; Attended Northwestern University Dental School, 1966-1968; Northwestern University, M.B.A. in Accounting and Information Systems, 1971. Hanssen appeared to be a devoted anti-communist. 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. During his second round of dealing with Russian agents, Hanssen was much more cautious. The family hopes Mr. Hanssen will be sent to the federal prison in Allenwood, Pa., which would be close enough for Mrs. Hanssen to continue to visit regularly. Hanssen was finally discovered when a former KGB agent contacted American intelligence agents. (The bureau wanted someone pretty green so as not to arouse suspicion.) May 10, 2002. Guilty plea would mean life term, money for family By Naftali Bendavid . They had two children together and were respected members of the community. They bought a modest, three-bedroom home in Yorktown Heights, N.Y., north of New York City. ONeills next assignment would put him right into the lions den. The double agent was arrested (above right) in 2001 by the FBI after leaving intel for them under a bridge in the park. Bonnie Hanssen said Hanssen's family "was never the beneficiary" of any spy money and that Bonnie Hanssen has no idea what happened to the proceeds from his spying, including $800,000 that authorities say the Russians deposited for him in a Moscow bank."We don't know at this point what happened to that money," she said. That effort is complemented by substantial FBI proactive investigation of foreign service intelligence officers here and by the critical work done by the CIA. But money is tight, she said, and the former housewife has taken a teaching job at her daughters school in Virginia. 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. He was also tasked with observing and learning as much as he could about Hanssens information technology setup in his office and with keeping an eye out on who Hanssen was meeting and talking with. "I have opened the door for calumny against my totally innocent wife and children. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. 42-67.) Its the one scrap of power hes kept for himself.. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. 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. All three were arrested; two were executed. On this day in history (February 18), one of the most famous and damaging insiders within the FBI, Robert Philip Hanssen was arrested. The astonishing letter gave the FBI what it had long sought definitive proof that Hanssen was the spy who had been betraying them since 1985, doing colossal damage to the USs counterintelligence capabilities by, among other things, revealing the identities of their undercover agents. Many of the questions centered on assertions made by Mrs. Hanssen's brother, Mark Wauck, an F.B.I. A TV movie called Master Spy: The Robert Hanssen Story was released in 2002. Hes also a sign of Mexicos healthcare crisis, Black residents of Jackson, Miss., blast plans by white-dominated Legislature for more state control, Spain approves menstrual leave, teen abortion and trans laws. Instead, the 57-year-old defendant will be sentenced to life in prison without parole if he honors his pledge to tell the government all the secrets behind his two-decade career as a Russian spy. On January 12, 1976, Robert Philip Hanssen swore an oath to enforce the law and protect the nation as a newly minted FBI special agent. Two and a half years ago, the FBI arrested Robert Hanssen, a 22-year veteran of the bureau, for selling secrets to Russia. Hanssen would later claim that his goal was simply to make some extra money, as living in New York City was putting a financial squeeze on his growing family. While this arrest represents a counterintelligence investigative success, the complaint alleges that Hanssen located and removed undetected from the FBI substantial quantities of information that he was able to access as a result of his assignments. In 1976, Robert Hanssen began his career as an FBI agent, but by 1985, he was working for the former Soviet Union, slipping the Russians classified secrets in exchange for more than $1.4 million . Hanssen checked the sign three times that night. Robert P. Bucciarelli, a priest affiliated with Opus Dei, a conservative Catholic organization the Hanssens had joined several years earlier. 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. Timeline. 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. The next day he ordered ONeill to drive him to a meeting. 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. 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. Interestingly, Hansen got married twice. Even without knowing who he was or where he worked, Hanssens value to the Russians was clear both by the substantial sums of money paid and the prestigious awards given to their own agents for Hanssens operation. So ONeill was torn when he got his next assignment: Wed like you to make [Hanssen] angry, Alleman said, hoping the suspected operatives reaction would deepen the psychological profile of him. 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. A former FBI Supervisory Special Agen. This would be the first of many heart-stopping requests from Alleman. Source: Netflix Article continues below advertisement The Hanssens are active members of Opus Dei, a conservative Catholic group. He used encrypted communications, dead drops, and other clandestine methods to provide information to the KGB and its successor agency, the SVR. 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. February 18 marks the 20th anniversary of the arrest of Robert Hanssen, one of the most damaging spies in U.S. history. The priest told Hanssen to stop his illegal activities and donate the money he had gotten from the Russians to charity. Mr. Hanssen agreed, and his wife, pregnant with their fourth child, was relieved. In school, he was bullied for his acne, girls would not talk to him, and he also developed a stutter. After Bonnie Hanssen confronted her husband, he told her that he had been in contact with his Soviet intelligence counterparts only as a ploy to trick them with disinformation, the attorney said. Accused FBI spy Hanssen cuts deal. 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. She supports the plea agreement and agrees that the sentence of life in prison without parole, rather than the death penalty, is appropriate in these circumstances.. 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.) It wasnt money, thats for sure, she said, noting that the family lived in a modest home with three mortgages and drove older-model cars as they scrimped to send their children to private Catholic schools. '', See the article in its original context from. After his first wife left him, Hansen was released from prison in late 1962. The evidence against him was overwhelming, and to avoid the death penalty, Hanssen confessed and agreed to be debriefed by American intelligence officials. 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. As a young man, he seemed to be seeking a way out of the blue-collar life represented by his boyhood neighborhood. 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. Russian operatives left signals for Hanssen at Foxstone Park in Vienna, Va. A feature film called Breach was released in 2007. 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. Today's protagonist, Robert Hanssen, was an FBI agent who served his country for 20 years. . Father Bucciarelli came up with a plan to save Mr. Hanssen from prison, Mrs. Hanssen told investigators during the polygraph test, her lawyer said. Hanssen took an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic and to bear true faith and allegiance to the same, but he decided to violate that oath. Written by on 27 febrero, 2023. 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. 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. In fact, he had already betrayed one of the United States' most important agents: Gen. Dmitri Polyakov of the G.R.U. 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. However, even though Hansen would go to church with his wife, nothing really changed. After a few years working as an accountant, he decided to enter law enforcement. Alleman tasked him with purloining Hanssens PalmPilot. It said Bokhan's son, Alex, 18, was having trouble in military school and suggested the deputy take his vacation now, three months early, and return to the Soviet Union to deal with him. 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. Another government official confirmed that Mrs. Hanssen was given a polygraph test and said she had passed it. The Robert Hanssen Story" was released in 2002. 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. One day, she said, she found her husband scurrying to cover up some papers in the basement of their home in Scarsdale, N.Y. I dont think there was anybody more shocked by all this, Brookner said. Blood rushed to my face. They were deported and arrested. To be very clear on this issue, at no time was he authorized to communicate information to agents of the KGB/SVR. agent who confessed to selling secrets to Moscow, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole today by a . He often steered conversations to talk of religion and his very conservative values, which were aligned with the very conservative Catholic organization Opus Dei. (2020, August 28). 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. Regrettably, I stand here today both saddened and outraged. Most of all, he betrayed himself. Yet some investigators believed anger about how his father treated him as a child triggered a need to rebel against authority. The criminal conduct alleged represents the most traitorous actions imaginable against a country governed by the Rule of Law. He began to make small payments over several years to a charity affiliated with Mother Teresa's Catholic organization, moving the family close to bankruptcy, Mrs. Hanssen told the Justice Department investigators. Upon becoming a special agent on January 12, 1976, Hanssen was transferred to the FBI's Gary, Indiana, field office. I intend to act swiftly on his recommendations. 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. Biography of Vladimir Putin: From KGB Agent to Russian President, The Biggest Donald Trump Scandals (So Far), President Truman's Executive Order 9835 Demanded Loyalty, Biography of Louis Armstrong, Expert Trumpeter and Entertainer, Biography of Alger Hiss: Government Official Accused of Spying, Biography of Mata Hari, Infamous World War I Spy, Haym Salomon, Spy and Financier of the American Revolution, Biography of Virginia Hall, WWII's Most Wanted Spy, Biography of Fred Hampton, Black Panther Party Leader, Biography of Robert Kennedy, US Attorney General, Presidential Candidate, John Dillinger's Life as Public Enemy Number 1, The Most Important Inventions of the Industrial Revolution. and finally hopped out of the car, determined to walk back to the office. They never lived the high life; they never even went out to dinner, she said. 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. 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. 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. At the end of the Cold War, Hanssen sold classified secrets to the Soviet and Russian intelligence services. Without the current unprecedented level of trust and cooperation between the CIA and FBI, making this case would not have been possible. 29:4-30:1, 2006, pp. Gallagher also told Hanssen that then-Director Louis Freeh had approved a two-year extension on his service and a promotion to the Senior Executive Service. . 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. But dont be fooled by that appearance. Over the next few years, she said, she questioned him about whether he was working with the Russians once more. Chicago Tribune July 4, 2001. A lock () or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Hanssenusing the alias Ramon Garcia with his Russian handlershad provided highly classified national security information to the Russians in exchange for more than $1.4 million in cash, bank funds, and diamonds. Hanssen parked on a residential street and walked down a wooded path to a footbridge with the classified materials wrapped in a plastic bag. I hate silence . 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. He compromised the security of his country and put the lives of colleagues in danger. He betrayed his country. Hanssen, a former counterintelligence supervisor for the FBI, pleaded guilty last week to 15 espionage-related charges and admitted that he had sold the Russians thousands of pages of national security secrets in exchange for $1.4 million in cash and diamonds. 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. The FBI also obtains the complete original KGB dossier on Hanssen. 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. He could sit in his office and shut the door. But from the vantage of the media, "happens to be" applies only to Pollard: Hanssen is fast-becoming known as "the Catholic spy.". . Director Louis Freeh discusses the arrest of veteran FBI agent Robert Philip Hanssen on spy charges. He betrayed his best friend, offering him up to the KGB. As alleged, he did so using a variety of sophisticated means of communication, encryption, and dead drops. ALEXANDRIA, Virginia (CNN) -- Apologizing before a U.S. federal judge, former FBI agent Robert Hanssen was sentenced Friday to . It is also one which can turn ingenious quickly, like an idiot savant, once convinced of a goal.. The test lasted several hours. 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