He betrayed his wife. As alleged, he did so using a variety of sophisticated means of communication, encryption, and dead drops. But in 1999, while assigned as an FBI liaison with the State Department, he once again began selling American secrets. His father served on the police force in Chicago and was serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II when Hanssen was born. The purloined PalmPilot gave the FBI the final piece of the puzzle: Hanssens next meeting with the Russians was scheduled for the following weekend. Heres a look at the life of convicted spy Robert Hanssen. On February 18, 2001, Hanssen was arrested and charged with committing espionage on behalf of Russia and the former Soviet Union. But money is tight, she said, and the former housewife has taken a teaching job at her daughters school in Virginia. ''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. 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. Chicago Tribune July 4, 2001. Anyone can read what you share. One day in February, when Hanssen was away, ONeill took a risk and snuck into his boss office. Father Bucciarelli came up with a plan to save Mr. Hanssen from prison, Mrs. Hanssen told investigators during the polygraph test, her lawyer said. They were finishing just as Hanssen texted that he was on his way back. 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. A moment later, a dark shadow crossed his door. While not identifying himself, he was able to gain their trust by initially providing information which the Soviets found both credible and valuable. He has never answered that question for anyone. The underling had 15 minutes to arrange for a car from the FBI who, this time, didnt blow its shot. Were you in my office? Hanssen leaned over my desk, his face inches from mine. Asked what Bonnie Hanssen thinks may have motivated her husband, Brookner said: Who knows? 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. 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 . Finally, he warned: The US can be errantly likened to a powerfully built but retarded child, potentially dangerous, but young, immature and easily manipulated. '', She said her greatest ambition was to resume some form of normal life, adding, ''I would just like to disappear. There is insanity in all the answers.. Robert J. McNamara is a history expert and former magazine journalist. They have committed their lives to public service and to upholding the high standards of the FBI. After working in the FBI division that developed secret listening devices, Hanssen was again placed in a position to track Russian agents operating in the United States. agent sentenced to life in prison on Friday after he pleaded guilty to spying for Moscow off and on for more than 20 years. The complaint, however, does not allege any compromises by him at the State Department. We dont know at this point what happened to that money, she said. 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. in Chemistry, 1966; Attended Northwestern University Dental School, 1966-1968; Northwestern University, M.B.A. in Accounting and Information Systems, 1971. '', ''I have very supportive friends, who have been tremendous,'' Mrs. Hanssen said. By ABC News. and finally hopped out of the car, determined to walk back to the office. Its amazing to live with a man for all those years and not know him.. One day, she said, she found her husband scurrying to cover up some papers in the basement of their home in Scarsdale, N.Y. 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. Their goal was to catch Hanssen red handed in espionage. She said she had none, and the polygraph showed no indication of deception, Ms. Brookner said. 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. I left that memo in your inbox, ONeill replied. Authorities say Hanssen was driven by greed, but Brookner rejected that assertion. The level of support and expertise from Acting Deputy Attorney General Robert Mueller, Counsel for Intelligence Policy Frances Fragos Townsend, U.S. Attorney Helen Fahey and Assistant United States Attorney Randy Bellows is superb. Because of these coordinated efforts, the FBI was able to secure original Russian documentation of an American spy who appeared to the FBI to be Hanssen a premise that was soon to be confirmed when Hanssen was identified by the FBI as having clandestinely communicated with Russian intelligence officers. 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. As Director of the FBI, I am proud of the courageous men and women of the FBI who each day make enormous sacrifices in serving their country. 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. 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. Full Name: Robert Phillip Hanssen Known For: Worked as a mole for Russian spy agencies while serving as an FBI counterintelligence agent. February 18, 2001 - Is arrested in a Virginia park after making a drop of classified documents. The Robert Hanssen Story" was released in 2002. 02 victoria warehouse manchester. May 10, 2002. Posted in . Hanssen, a disgruntled senior FBI computer geek who spied intermittently for the Russians from 1979 until his arrest following a dead drop in the snowy woods of Virginia in 2001, produced. Its difficult, but its better than seeing him put to death.. ONeills next assignment would put him right into the lions den. On this day in history (February 18), one of the most famous and damaging insiders within the FBI, Robert Philip Hanssen was arrested. Robert Philip Hanssen had drifted through several false starts in life before he settled in at the FBI. He was, after all, a trained counterintelligence specialist. Imbecile! [Your wifes genetic code] demands she stay home and nurture the children. Hanssen was incarcerated in a "supermax" federal prison in Colorado which also houses other notorious inmates, including the Unabomber, one of the Boston Marathon bombers, and a number of organized crime figures. The Ellis drop site, under a footbridge over Wolftrap Creek at Foxstone Park near Vienna, Va. U.S. Attorney Randy Bellows, right, is depicted in an artists sketch as he addresses the court during the sentencing of convicted spy Robert Hanssen, center, seen with his attorney Plato Cacheris, left, at the federal courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia. Did you see it?. ''He never said he was spying. His Russian contacts and Hanssen were highly trained in espionage techniques and were able to work together without ever meeting. 2023 Cable News Network. Our joint efforts over the last several years and specifically in this case should give pause to those contemplating betrayal of the Nations trust. 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. May 31, 2001 - Pleads not guilty to all charges. Why are we still having these debates? ONeill, 46, left the FBI in May 2001. Hanssen's guilty plea involved 15 counts of espionage and conspiracy. Regrettably, I stand here today both saddened and outraged. In 1978, Hanssen was transferred to the FBI office in New York City and was assigned to a counterintelligence post. One reason for her frustration may be that some government officials were apparently not convinced of her story. Serial killer Robert Hansen confessed to killing 17 women in Alaska over a 12-year span, all while married with two children. I hate silence . Christian owned a bakery and would make his son work for long hours as a kid. . He was Amazon.com's first-ever history editor and has bylines in New York, the Chicago Tribune, and other national outlets. In order to put the double-crosser away forever, ONeill would need to put his life on the line again. In fact, when his father passed away, Hansen inherited 17 guns from him as well. . 's New York field office. She sold their house and bakery in Alaska and shifted closer to her family in Arkansas after the children were getting bullied massively at their school. Literally, Hanssens colleagues and coworkers at the FBI conducted this investigation and did so quietly, securely and without hesitation. The Justice Department's inspector general has been examining the F.B.I. Accused FBI spy Hanssen cuts deal. 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. headquarters in a senior counterintelligence post, he told his wife that he had paid off the debt, she told the Justice Department. I would like to ask him why he did it, ONeill told The Post. Special Agent Don Sullivan, a squad supervisor at the FBIs Washington Field Office at the time, volunteered to replace Hanssen. Judge Webster is uniquely qualified as a former FBI Director, CIA Director and Director of Central Intelligence to undertake this review. He turned off the highway onto a side street, trying to persuade Hanssen that it was faster even though, as he writes, anyone who has lived in the DC area for two weeks could call bullst.. January 12, 2001 - Hanssen is reassigned from counterintelligence to an obscure office at FBI headquarters. 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. On February 18, 2001, Hanssen was arrested at a park in northern Virginia after he had placed a package at a dead drop location. 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. By February 2001, about 300 personnel were working the investigation and monitoring Hanssen. The full extent of the damage done is yet unknown because no accurate damage assessment could be conducted without jeopardizing the investigation. For years, Hanssen stopped contacting the Russians. But something went wrong and when the two men showed up in the parking garage, the FBI car wasnt there. Described as. 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. He worked as a source for the USSR and subsequently The Russian Federation. Intelligence. An FBI arrest team moved into position at Foxstone Park, a location where Hanssen had been spotted before by FBI surveillance. Source: Netflix Article continues below advertisement children: Greg Hanssen, Jane Hanssen, John Hanssen, Lisa Hanssen, Mark Hanssen, Sue Hanssen Born Country: United States Spies American Men City: Chicago, Illinois Notable Alumni: Knox College (Illinois) U.S. State: Illinois More Facts Recommended Lists: American People Kellogg School Of Management Male Spies American Spies Aries Men 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. FBI agents outside Robert Hanssen's home in Virginia, Feb. 20, 2001. The plea bargain spared Hanssen the death penalty. Robert Phillip Hanssen was born in Chicago, Illinois, on April 18, 1944. Director Tenet and I have briefed the intelligence committees of Congress because of the clear national security implications. May 10, 2002 - Is sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole. 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. FBI leadership decided Hanssen needed to be removed from his temporary position and brought back to FBI Headquarters. The agencies initially focused primarilyand incorrectlyon a veteran CIA case officer, who was investigated for nearly two years. Is sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. He married Bernadette Wauck in 1968 and, influenced by his devout Catholic wife, he converted to Catholicism. Hanssen would now be ONeills boss. But even as her life regains some sense of normalcy, Bonnie Hanssen struggles to understand the havoc that the last few months have wrought, Brookner said. Robert Hanssen betrayed the FBI. He betrayed his best friend, offering him up to the KGB. 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. The data-some 6000 pages of highly classified documents-revealed . You know hes armed and Im not. The Soviets, suspicious of being lured into a trap, demanded to meet him. But Thursday, Bonnie Hanssen issued a statement through her attorney revealing the torment that the case has caused. For more information:- Press Release - Veteran FBI Agent Arrested and Charged with Espionage- Affidavit- Statement ofFBI Director Louis J. Freeh on the Arrestof FBI Special Agent Robert Philip Hanssen (see below), Statement of FBI Director Louis J. Freeh On the Arrestof FBI Special Agent Robert Philip Hanssen, For Immediate ReleaseFebruary 20, 2001Washington D.C.FBI National Press Office. Investigators learned that Hanssen was set to make a dead drop on February 18, 2001. The Hanssens are active members of Opus Dei, a conservative Catholic group. His Father, Howard Hanssen, was an officer with the Chicago police department and his mother, Vivian Hanssen, was a . Make him angry. I said, No way we are taking your beat-up, boring, outdated old Ford Taurus to the DIA. ONeill needed to stall, but without arousing further suspicion. 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. Hanssen was an FBI agent for 25 years, but he was also a spy for the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation . 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. Browse 139 robert hanssen stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Did you encounter any technical issues? Friends of Hanssen later came forward and told journalists that Hanssen had exhibited eccentric behavior, which included an obsession with pornography. 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. ''I never knew about anything else after that first time,'' Mrs. Hanssen said in the interview. In return, he received large sums of money and other remuneration. ONeill rushed everything he found to Alleman, who had all of it copied, and then quickly returned the contents to Hanssens bag. I dont think there was anybody more shocked by all this, Brookner said. In fact, her husband resumed his espionage career. He wrote to them anonymously. Children: Lisa, Greg, Mark, John "Jack," Sue and Jane. After being released, he met his second wife, Darla Henrichsen, and the pair got married in 1963. 1972 - Joins the Chicago Police Department. A Warner Bros. You can call me sir, or boss, Hanssen said. She next asked ONeill to retrieve Hanssens keys so the FBI could copy them, but his boss kept his keys on him at all times. 40K views 2 years ago On this day February 18, 2001, Robert Hanssen was arrested and charged with committing espionage on behalf of the intelligence services of the former Soviet Union. All three were arrested; two were executed. (The bureau wanted someone pretty green so as not to arouse suspicion.) The following year, he married Darla Henrichson, with whom he went on to have two children. Robert Hanssen moments after being arrested. Each time, her lawyer said Mrs. Hanssen told investigators during the polygraph test, he would deny it and act as if he was hurt that she did not trust him. Hanssen, in full blowhard mode, got back in the car and the two took the slow route as he lectured ONeill. December 2000 - The FBI begins surveillance of Hanssen. 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 TV movie called Master Spy: The Robert Hanssen Story was released in 2002. Before concluding, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet for the cooperation and assistance of his agency in this investigation. Unlike Cold War spies of an earlier era, Hanssen claimed to have no political motivation for selling out his country. While other spies were still chasing after paper files, Hanssen had entered the digital world. 1999 - Resumes spying, this time for the Russian Intelligence agency. 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. 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. Id say insanely loyal, Hanssen wrote. Out of all the lingering scandals in Washington,. If the device wasnt in Hanssens hand or on the desk in front of him, it was always in his left back pocket. He wanted to interview Hanssen for the book but was refused. 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. Or, rather, one person does. Children: Lisa, Greg, Mark, John "Jack," Sue and Jane. Heart Of Darkness. At some point in 1979, Hanssen made a decision to sell American secrets to the Soviets. In the 15 months since her husband's arrest as a Russian spy, Bonnie Hanssen has struggled to maintain her public silence in the face of a torrent of disclosures about her life with a man she thought she knew. Couldnt this have waited till Monday? he asked. Updated 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. In short, the trusted insider betrayed his trust without detection. 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. Without the current unprecedented level of trust and cooperation between the CIA and FBI, making this case would not have been possible. . During the early 1990s, KGB veterans began to approach western intelligence agencies and provide information. The complaint alleges that Hanssen conspired to and did commit espionage for Russia and the former Soviet Union. Before Hanssen left the position, Sullivan went to learn his new role at the Department of State. Hanssen had a reputation for being wildly arrogant and dour. (Photo courtesy of FBI/Newsmakers). 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 . This story has been shared 149,018 times. For these reasons, the FBI learned of his true identity before the Russians; they are learning of it only now. The answer shocked ONeill, then 26. He pleaded guilty to 13 counts of espionage plus two related counts and was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much 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. Robert was born in 1939 in Iowa to Danish immigrants Christian and Edna Hansen. Joining the FBI in the height of the Cold War, Robert Hanssen dreamed of the exciting life of a spy. None of the internal information or personnel security measures in place alerted those charged with internal security to his activities. She said she told the bureau the same thing immediately after her husband's arrest last year. She agreed to describe the results, Ms. Brookner said, because they exonerated Mrs. Hanssen. Senior FBI officials described him as . As Hanssen grew up, his father was reportedly verbally abusive to him, often ranting that he would never succeed in life. The couple, however, did not have a great relationship. Instead, he ultimately became the most damaging spy in. His assistant, Eric ONeill, was tasked with keeping investigators apprised of Hanssens movements. Hanssen was detailed to the Office of Foreign Missions at the Department of State from 1995 to 2000. Expert interviews recount Hanssen's life, how he stayed hidden for over 20 years, and the events leading to his arrest. Ms. Brookner, who arranged the interview, insisted that Mrs. Hanssen not be questioned about revelations concerning her husband's sexual obsessions. As a young man, he seemed to be seeking a way out of the blue-collar life represented by his boyhood neighborhood. "Robert Hanssen, FBI Agent Who Became a Soviet Mole." 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 first time around, his wife divorced him after a mere half-year because of his incarceration for arson in Iowa. Abcarian: Mask mandates? Robert Hanssen's business cards, chalk and thumb tacks, which he used to communicate with his Russian contacts, according to the FBI. 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. He often steered conversations to talk of religion and his very conservative values, which were aligned with the very conservative Catholic organization Opus Dei. 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. 2. A self-taught computer expert, Hansen often encrypted his stolen files on wafer-thin disks. February 18 marks the 20th anniversary of the arrest of Robert Hanssen, one of the most damaging spies in U.S. history. A feature film called "Breach" was released in 2007. By the time O'Neill slipped into the car on that fateful Sunday morning in 2001, an FBI operation was already underway to . 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