The priest told Hanssen to stop his illegal activities and donate the money he had gotten from the Russians to charity. 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. One notable example was the information that the Americans had dug a tunnel under the Russian embassy in Washington to install sophisticated listening devices. After being released, he met his second wife, Darla Henrichsen, and the pair got married in 1963. In January 2001, Hanssen was given an office and an assistant, Eric O'Neill, who, in reality, was a young FBI surveillance specialist who had been assigned to watch Hanssen. Though she named Hansen as the man who held her captive and sexually assaulted her, it wasn't until a more thorough investigation was completed that Hansen was formally charged with crimes. Hansen even followed in his fathers footsteps and opened up his own bakery. Both Ames and Hanssen compromised the names of KGB agents working secretly for the U.S., some of whom were executed for their betrayal. The Russians then filed an official protest with the State Department, believing Hanssen to be a triple agent. He is serving his sentence at the ADX Florence, a federal supermax prison near Florence, Colorado, in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day. The complaint alleges that Hanssen conspired to and did commit espionage for Russia and the former Soviet Union. 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. He was, after all, a trained counterintelligence specialist. He was finally arrested in early 2001 from Foxstone Park for trading classified information of the US to the Soviet Union and later to the Russian Federation. 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. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. 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. Our hearts go out to them. This California farm kingdom holds a key, These are the 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles, New Bay Area maps show hidden flood risk from sea level rise and groundwater. Darla, who had a masters degree in Education, would earn her own income by teaching learning disabled kids. However, two cases- the Bloch investigation and the embassy tunnel- remained unsolved. The couple, however, did not have a great relationship. He restarted his espionage activities in 1985 and continued until 1991, when he ended communications during the collapse of the Soviet Union, fearing he would be exposed. Investigators learned that Hanssen was set to make a dead drop on February 18, 2001. Hanssen was set to retire, so investigators had to move fast. [54], With the representation of Washington lawyer Plato Cacheris, Hanssen negotiated a plea bargain that enabled him to avoid the death penalty in exchange for cooperating with authorities. When told that he would have to take a lie detector test to join, Hanssen changed his mind. 1972 - Joins the Chicago Police Department. Robert Hansen Remains 'Person of Interest' in Mom's Disappearance As for the investigation back in the 1960s when Joan Hansen disappeared, Urquhart was obviously not working for the Sheriff's office. "[3] Hanssen is currently serving 15 consecutive life sentences without parole at ADX Florence, a federal supermax prison near Florence, Colorado. He married Bernadette Wauck in 1968 and, influenced by his devout Catholic wife, he converted to Catholicism. 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. Interestingly, Hansen got married twice. After Ames's arrest in 1994, some of these intelligence breaches remained unsolved. In 1979, three years after joining the FBI, Hanss 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. Hanssen was serving as a detailee to the Office of Foreign Missions at the Department of State at the time suspicions around him arose. [75], The American Court TV (now TruTV) television series Mugshots released an episode on the Robert Hanssen case titled "Robert Hanssen Hanssen and the KGB".[76]. Hanssen warned the KGB that Bloch was being investigated, causing the KGB to end contact with him abruptly. [4] He was spying at the same time as Aldrich Ames in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. The 2007 documentary Superspy: The Man Who Betrayed the West describes the hunt to trap Hanssen. When FBI agents observed this incriminating act, they rushed in to arrest Hanssen. July 6, 2001 - Pleads guilty to 15 counts of espionage and conspiracy in exchange for the government not seeking the death penalty. The FBI planned to use it for eavesdropping but never did for fear of being caught. Hanssen sold thousands of classified documents to the KGB that detailed U.S. strategies in the event of nuclear war, developments in military weapons technologies, and aspects of the U.S. counterintelligence program. Hanssen was detailed to the Office of Foreign Missions at the Department of State from 1995 to 2000. (2020, August 28). In 1985 he approached the Soviets again and offered valuable secrets. ThoughtCo. 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. They paid $7 million to KGB agent Alexandr Shcherbakov[43] who had access to a file on "B". Authorities say Hanssen was driven by greed, but Brookner rejected that assertion. [32] The following year, after the Russian Federation assumed control of the defunct Soviet spy agencies, Hanssen made a risky approach to the GRU, with whom he had not been in contact in ten months. [14] The next year, Hanssen was transferred to counterintelligence and given the task of compiling a database of Soviet intelligence for the FBI. Hansen was first married in his native Iowa when he was in his early 20s (via The Cinemaholic). A feature film called Breach was released in 2007. As soon as they let their guard down, Hansen would attack, brutally sexually assaulting them before finally killing them (per Anchorage Daily News). Hanssen applied for a cryptographer job in the National Security Agency but was rebuffed due to budget setbacks. Robert was born in 1939 in Iowa to Danish immigrants Christian and Edna Hansen. To bring him back to FBI headquarters, where he could be closely monitored and kept away from sensitive data, they promoted him in December 2000. He used encrypted communications, dead drops, and other clandestine methods to provide information to the KGB and its successor agency, the SVR. 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. Although his name was not specifically mentioned, evidence in the file pointed to Hanssen, who was put under close surveillance. [23] Martynov and Motorin were recalled to Moscow, where they were arrested, charged, tried, and convicted of espionage against the Soviet government. Robert Hanssen's business cards, chalk and thumb tacks, which he used to communicate with his Russian contacts, according to the FBI. 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. [26], Later that year, Hanssen gave extensive information about American planning for measurement and signature intelligence (MASINT), a general term for intelligence collected by a variety of electronic means, such as radar, spy satellites, and signal intercepts. To closely oversee his activities, the FBI relocated him in its headquarters in January 2001. 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. His espionage was described by the Department of Justice as "possibly the worst intelligence disaster in U.S. history." Hanssen is currently serving 15 consecutive life sentences without parole at ADX Florence, a federal supermax prison near Florence, Colorado. He wrote to them anonymously. In November 1998, they had a man with a foreign accent come to Kelley's door, warn him that the FBI knew he was a spy, and tell him to show up at a Metro station the next day to escape. He began providing the Soviets with highly valuable material. At work, he often spoke of his religious faith and conservative values, traits which helped him avoid any suspicion during the years that he was in secret communication with Russian spies. This included all the FBI activities related to wiretapping and electronic surveillance, which were Hanssen's responsibility. They have committed their lives to public service and to upholding the high standards of the FBI. Both schools are associated with Opus Dei. In 1971 he earned his Master in Business Administration in accounting and information systems. 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. [73], Eric O'Neill's role in the capture of Robert Hanssen was dramatized in the 2007 movie Breach, in which Chris Cooper played the role of Hanssen and Ryan Phillippe played O'Neill.[74]. 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. In 1978, Hanssen was transferred to the FBI office in New York City and was assigned to a counterintelligence post. This would already be enough to charge him with murder. Leland Hale and Walter Gilmour co-authored the 1991 book "Butcher, Baker: The True Account of an Alaskan Serial Killer," chronicling the life and crimes of Robert Hansen. Martynov and Motorin were condemned to death and executed via a gunshot to the back of the head. The pension was an important consideration for Hanssen in his plea negotiations, Brookner said. Hanssen's jailers allowed him to watch this movie, but he was so angered by it that he turned it off. 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. Once when Bonnie caught his espionage, he made a confession to an Opus Dei priest, donated cash to Catholic charity and gave his word of never spying again. He was made the chief of National Security Threat List Unit of FBI in Washington, D.C. in 1992. 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. In the last letter he wrote to the Russians, which was found by the FBI when he was arrested, Hanssen said that he had been promoted to a "do-nothing job outside of regular access to information," and that, "Something has aroused the sleeping tiger". In early February 2001, he asked his friend at a computer technology company for a job. Although Hanssen was unaware of it, Ames had already exposed all three agents earlier that year. He had been married twice, and fathered children. [53] Upon being arrested, Hanssen asked, "What took you so long?" His wife was a teacher of theology at Oakcrest. Hanssen ensured that he did not reveal himself with his study, but in addition, he gave the entire studyincluding the list of all Soviets who had contacted the FBI about FBI molesto the KGB in 1988. FBI agents remove evidence from Robert Hanssen's home in Vienna, Virginia on February 20, 2001. . 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. Eric Michael O'Neill is an American former FBI counter-terrorism and counterintelligence operative. After leaving a friend at an airport on February 18, 2001, Hanssen drove to Virginia's Foxstone Park. 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. For two children, that was devastating. Some promising suspects were cleared, and the mole hunt found other penetrations, such as CIA officer Harold James Nicholson. In 1979 he contacted the Soviet military intelligence, GRU, to offer his espionage. 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. At present he is serving his fifteen successive life terms as prisoner #48551-083 at a federal supermax prison, the ADX Florence. 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. With the mole finally identified, locations, dates, and cases were matched with Hanssen's activities during the period. They gave him a new job supervising FBI computer security. The Russian had obtained Hanssen's KGB file. 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. He had opportunity. Two fingerprints collected from a trash bag in the file were analyzed and proved to be Hanssen's. Darla fled the state to Arkansas, where she had family. His Russian contacts and Hanssen were highly trained in espionage techniques and were able to work together without ever meeting. history. 1999 - Resumes spying, this time for the Russian Intelligence agency. FBI and CIA personnel who debriefed Hanssen about his 21 years. Instead, he ultimately became the most damaging spy in. Many of them were agents of the Soviet intelligence agency, the KGB, or its military counterpart, the GRU. Children: Lisa, Greg, Mark, John "Jack," Sue and Jane Education: Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, A.B. After a stint of three years he was shifted to the Soviet Analytical Unit that delved in probing, recognising and catching Soviet agents in the US. Without the current unprecedented level of trust and cooperation between the CIA and FBI, making this case would not have been possible. The complaint alleges that he received over $600,000. Hansen was convicted of just four of the murders in a deal that spared him . [21] In the letter, he gave the names of three KGB agents secretly working for the FBI: Boris Yuzhin, Valery Martynov, and Sergei Motorin. Hanssen disclosed this information to the Soviets in September 1989 and received a $55,000 payment the next month, equivalent to $120,232 in 2021. Friends of Hanssen later came forward and told journalists that Hanssen had exhibited eccentric behavior, which included an obsession with pornography. All Rights Reserved. in Chemistry, 1966; Attended Northwestern University Dental School, 1966-1968;. Nor would many other intelligence and counterintelligence accomplishments that routinely but quietly contribute to the security of this Nation. May 16, 2001 - Is indicted on 21 counts of spying for the Soviet Union/Russia and passing top secret material to the Soviet Union/Russia. Unlike Cold War spies of an earlier era, Hanssen claimed to have no political motivation for selling out his country. After confirmation by the FBI CART Unit, Sullivan filed a report with the Office of Professional Responsibility requesting the further investigation of Hanssen's attempted hack. [16] CIA and FBI officials, including Deputy Director William Sullivan, believed that, at some point, Polyakov was made into a triple agent by the Soviets, who thereby deceived the West with misinformation. Director Tenet and I have briefed the intelligence committees of Congress because of the clear national security implications. Robert was described as a loner and a quiet person, and he had a strained relationship as well with his strict and dominating father. He once said in a letter to the KGB that it should emulate the management style of Mayor of Chicago Richard J. Daleya comment that easily could have led an investigator to look at people from Chicago. He was delegated to probe police officers who were suspected of corruption. Three years later, Hanssen transferred to the FBI's Soviet analytical unit, responsible for studying, identifying, and capturing Soviet spies and intelligence operatives in the United States. 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.. Therefore, after he was given a 461-year sentence for his crimes, she chose to divorce him. He was the single most devastating mole in US history, and compromised more CIA assets than anyone in history, until Robert Hanssen that is. Literally, Hanssens colleagues and coworkers at the FBI conducted this investigation and did so quietly, securely and without hesitation. His new job in the FBI's budget office gave him access to information involving many different FBI operations. Intelligence officials began debriefing Hanssen this week, defense attorney Preston Burton said Thursday. [4][42], FBI investigators later made progress during an operation where they paid disaffected Russian intelligence officers to deliver information on moles. 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. 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. January 12, 2001 - Hanssen is reassigned from counterintelligence to an obscure office at FBI headquarters. The Hanssens were associated with the Catholic fraternal order Opus Dei. [7][8] On May 10, 2002, Hanssen was sentenced to 15 consecutive sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole. The Russian officer, who evidently did not recognize the code name, drove away. 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. The prolonged abuse that he endured not only made his childhood challenging, but also chased him throughout his life. What makes Hansen seem even more grisly than other serial killers was the way that many of his victims were murdered. The agents working for him reported this breach to a supervisor, but no action was taken. 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. His twenty two years of espionage against the US began in 1979. Though both Hansen and his wife earned respectable incomes, it would . He often steered conversations to talk of religion and his very conservative values, which were aligned with the very conservative Catholic organization Opus Dei.
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