As Hanssen grew up, his father was reportedly verbally abusive to him, often ranting that he would never succeed in life. The Department of Justice described his espionage as one of the worst in United States History. At least three Russian agents he identified had been executed, and it was suspected that he compromised dozens of intelligence operations. Interestingly, Hansen got married twice. Robert Philip Hansen thought he was smarter than the system. 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 would now be ONeills boss. As part of that review, the inspector general asked Mrs. Hanssen to take a polygraph test, just days before the sentencing. In his new book, Gray Day: My Undercover Mission to Expose Americas First Cyber Spy (Crown), ONeill tells his story of risking his life in 2001 to bring down the operative. Anything else while were at it? Since he held key counterintelligence positions, he had authorized access to classified information. But dont be fooled by that appearance. Two and a half years ago, the FBI arrested Robert Hanssen, a 22-year veteran of the bureau, for selling secrets to Russia. Hanssen made the donation to a charity affiliated with Mother Teresa, and cut off contact with the Soviets for the next few years. An FBI Agent who raised his right hand and spoke those words over 25 years ago has been charged today with violating that oath in the most egregious and reprehensible manner imaginable. Another government official confirmed that Mrs. Hanssen was given a polygraph test and said she had passed it. ''But he told me he was just tricking the Russians and feeding them false information,'' she said. 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. The agencies initially focused primarilyand incorrectlyon a veteran CIA case officer, who was investigated for nearly two years. She visits her husband in prison regularly. December 2000 - The FBI begins surveillance of Hanssen. 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. A few years later, they moved to Anchorage, Alaska, and had two children. 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. 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. 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 pled guilty to 15 counts of espionage on July 6, 2001. The actions alleged date back as far as 1985 and, with the possible exception of several years in the 1990s, continued until his arrest on Sunday. 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. 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. had too readily accepted Mrs. Hanssen's version of events. He happens to be Catholic. However, even though Hansen would go to church with his wife, nothing really changed. The plea bargain allows Bonnie Hanssen to receive about 55% of Hanssens pension, which will total an estimated $39,000 per year. 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. He was sentenced to life in prison. He also expressed his trademark annoyance. 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. All Rights Reserved. Annoyed at ONeills seeming incompetence, Hanssen lashed out, calling him an imbecile and a moron. Finally, he said, Well take my car, and thats final.. The criminal conduct alleged represents the most traitorous actions imaginable against a country governed by the Rule of Law. Moron! Sun, Feb 12, 2023. . The couple, however, did not have a great relationship. As they took him into custody, Hanssen turned to one and said, What took you so long?. The complaint, however, does not allege any compromises by him at the State Department. While other spies were still chasing after paper files, Hanssen had entered the digital world. But Hanssen couldn't afford the lifestyle that he thought he deserved. . Heres a look at the life of convicted spy Robert Hanssen. I always liked writing privately in journals, but writing publicly is new. 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. ThoughtCo, Aug. 28, 2020, thoughtco.com/robert-hanssen-4587832. I take solace and satisfaction, however, that the FBI succeeded in this investigation. Hanssen had a reputation for being wildly arrogant and dour. 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. They drove to New Rochelle to meet with the Rev. "I have opened the door for calumny against my totally innocent wife and children. 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. In 1978, Hanssen was transferred to the FBI office in New York City and was assigned to a counterintelligence post. Home; Features; Services; About; Contact; Login; Get Free Demo Stahl reports that Hanssen invited his best friend to watch him. He was enrolled in a "children's club" overseen by the organization when he was seven years old, and it wasn't his first experience with Opus Dei. Instead, he ultimately became the most damaging spy in. January 12, 1976 - Joins the FBI as a special agent. 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. By the time Hanssen and ONeill returned to the office, things seemed normal. He compromised the security of his country and put the lives of colleagues in danger. I have asked Judge William H. Webster, and he has graciously agreed, to examine thoroughly the internal security functions and procedures of the FBI and recommend improvements. 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. He worked as a policeman in Chicago for three years and was placed on an elite unit that investigated corruption. Press Release - Veteran FBI Agent Arrested and Charged with Espionage, FBI.gov is an official site of the U.S. Department of Justice. After work each day, ONeill would secretly meet with his actual boss, Special Agent Kate Alleman, recalling everything Hanssen said and did which, as it turned out, would be nothing pleasant. appreciated. It is also one which can turn ingenious quickly, like an idiot savant, once convinced of a goal.. A Spy in Plain Sight: The Inside Story of the FBI and Robert Hanssen, America's Most Damaging Russian Spy, Lis Wiehl (Pegasus, 2022), 336 pages. Before her May 7 polygraph test began, Justice Department investigators read Mrs. Hanssen her Miranda rights, her Washington lawyer, Janine Brookner, said. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 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. He pleaded guilty to 15 counts of espionage in July 2001 and was sentenced to prison without the possibility of parole. 1981 - Is assigned to the Intelligence Division at FBI headquarters in DC. The tension would not lessen over the next few days, with Hanssen telling ONeill he was a worthless clerk.. When these two KGB officials returned to Moscow, they were tried and convicted on espionage charges and executed. His Russian contacts and Hanssen were highly trained in espionage techniques and were able to work together without ever meeting. Hanssen was set to retire, so investigators had to move fast. 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. After a few years working as an accountant, he decided to enter law enforcement. In short, the trusted insider betrayed his trust without detection. Source: Netflix Article continues below advertisement 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. During his 15 years as an alleged Russian mole, Robert Hanssen had access to many vital . 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. 's investigation of Mr. Hanssen, the former F.B.I. McNamara, Robert. Hanssen is a Special Agent of the FBI with a long career in counterintelligence. (The bureau wanted someone pretty green so as not to arouse suspicion.) Follow. Without the current unprecedented level of trust and cooperation between the CIA and FBI, making this case would not have been possible. At one point Hanssen spoke to a Russian agent over a pay phone, but they generally relied on placing signals in public places. His job was to help assemble a database of foreign officials posted in New York who, while posing as diplomats, were actually intelligence officers spying on the United States. Apparently, even though Hansen was naturally a left-handed person, he was always forced to use his right hand, making his speech problems worse. In the letter, Hanssen revealed that he had dreamed of being a spy against his country since the age of 14, after reading a book about Kim Philby the British intelligence officer who was also a Russian double agent. 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 . Mrs. Hanssen acknowledged in the interview that in about 1980, she discovered that her husband was having unauthorized dealings with the Russians, but said she never knew the extent of his actions. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. The first time around, his wife divorced him after a mere half-year because of his incarceration for arson in Iowa. On May 10, 2002, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Hansen even followed in his fathers footsteps and opened up his own bakery. 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