His growing family would need space, and Hanssen's vision of himself required that he provide for them while Bonnie managed the home and raised their children. He lobbied his Russian masters to buy him a newer PalmPilot, with wireless Internet capabilities, which would allow the rapid transmission of encrypted messages. 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. All Rights Reserved. 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. A few years later, they moved to Anchorage, Alaska, and had two children. FBI agents outside Robert Hanssen's home in Virginia, Feb. 20, 2001. 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 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. Realizing the importance of the material, the United States paid $7 million for it. They have committed their lives to public service and to upholding the high standards of the FBI. Their goal was to catch Hanssen red handed in espionage. Now she says she has chosen to speak out at last because she wants to answer one question she has heard dozens of times: How could Robert P. Hanssen's wife of 34 years not have known he was a spy? 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.) (The bureau wanted someone pretty green so as not to arouse suspicion.) ''He never said he was spying. 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. We've received your submission. COVID origins? [Your wifes genetic code] demands she stay home and nurture the children. The priest told Hanssen to stop his illegal activities and donate the money he had gotten from the Russians to charity. ONeill quickly replaced the items and ran out of the office. Hansen even followed in his fathers footsteps and opened up his own bakery. ''But he told me he was just tricking the Russians and feeding them false information,'' she said. Children: Lisa, Greg, Mark, John "Jack," Sue and Jane. 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. By the time O'Neill slipped into the car on that fateful Sunday morning in 2001, an FBI operation was already underway to . One might propose that I am either insanely brave or quite insane. He happens to be Catholic. On May 10, 2002, Robert Philip Hanssen was sentenced to life in prison without parole. 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. But Mr. Hanssen was not tricking the Russians; he was a Russian spy and had been working for the G.R.U., Soviet military intelligence, since 1979. That effort is complemented by substantial FBI proactive investigation of foreign service intelligence officers here and by the critical work done by the CIA. '', ''I have very supportive friends, who have been tremendous,'' Mrs. Hanssen said. He worked as a policeman in Chicago for three years and was placed on an elite unit that investigated corruption. Expert interviews recount Hanssen's life, how he stayed hidden for over 20 years, and the events leading to his arrest. Anything else while were at it? 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. 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. 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. Hanssen, in full blowhard mode, got back in the car and the two took the slow route as he lectured ONeill. Hanssen parked on a residential street and walked down a wooded path to a footbridge with the classified materials wrapped in a plastic bag. His tale was also made into the 2007 movie Breach.. In hindsight, serial killers often have traits in common and show signs of their adult inclinations as children. In fact, he had already betrayed one of the United States' most important agents: Gen. Dmitri Polyakov of the G.R.U. "Robert Hanssen, FBI Agent Who Became a Soviet Mole." The data-some 6000 pages of highly classified documents-revealed . They were deported and arrested. Id answer neither. Imbecile! Heres a list, Greek transportation minister resigns over train collision as death toll keeps rising, Ohios senators to unveil rail safety bill in wake of East Palestine derailment, After months of pounding, Ukrainian official says military may pull back from Bakhmut, Elizabeth Holmes cites her new baby as a reason she should avoid prison for Theranos scam. 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. Robert J. McNamara is a history expert and former magazine journalist. 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 NOTE: The following is an excerpt from an article by Lee Penn, "Opus Dei & the Da Vinci Code, part II", published in the Journal of the Spiritual Counterfeits Project [SCP] (Vol. This time, Mrs. Hanssen insisted that they find a cheaper place to live than Scarsdale. I intend to act swiftly on his recommendations. Meanwhile, the FBI had discovered medical tape and chalk Hanssens tools for signaling the Russians in the car, along with classified documents that had no business being there. "I have opened the door for calumny against my totally innocent wife and children. A feature film called "Breach" was released in 2007. Why is it so important to take [that] car? Hanssen demanded to know. (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 . According to the University of the Free State's "A Psychobiography of Robert Hansen: The 'Butcher Baker,'" Hansen was no different. Full Name: Robert Phillip Hanssen Known For: Worked as a mole for Russian spy agencies while serving as an FBI counterintelligence agent. Christopher Burgess / Feb 18, 2021. His Father, Howard Hanssen, was an officer with the Chicago police department and his mother, Vivian Hanssen, was a . Children: Lisa, Greg, Mark, John "Jack," Sue and Jane. Did you encounter any technical issues? Interestingly, Hansen got married twice. Nor can there be any doubt that he was keenly aware of the gravity of his traitorous actions. Sullivan noted that Hanssen spent a lot of time trolling ACS for information. Today's protagonist, Robert Hanssen, was an FBI agent who served his country for 20 years. In 1978, Hanssen was transferred to the FBI office in New York City and was assigned to a counterintelligence post. https://www.thoughtco.com/robert-hanssen-4587832 (accessed March 1, 2023). Is sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole. In one deadly instance in 1985, the FBI believed Hanssen exposed three KGB agents working for the Americans. 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. After graduating from a public high school, Hanssen attended Knox College in Illinois, studying chemistry and Russian. Darla, who had a masters degree in Education, would earn her own income by teaching learning disabled kids. Father Bucciarelli came up with a plan to save Mr. Hanssen from prison, Mrs. Hanssen told investigators during the polygraph test, her lawyer said. I always liked writing privately in journals, but writing publicly is new. Hanssen was an FBI agent for 25 years, but he was also a spy for the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation . While other spies were still chasing after paper files, Hanssen had entered the digital world. Here was ONeills opportunity to push Hanssen to his limits. Should I get him to confess?. The wildest part? 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. Its difficult, but its better than seeing him put to death.. The full extent of the damage done is yet unknown because no accurate damage assessment could be conducted without jeopardizing the investigation. Children: Lisa, Greg, Mark, John "Jack," Sue and Jane. Hanssen, 56, was an FBI agent for 25 . Many of them were agents of the Soviet intelligence agency, the KGB, or its military counterpart, the GRU. Each time, I share the pride and sanctity of those words when new agents swear 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.. Christian owned a bakery and would make his son work for long hours as a kid. According to . Their actions represent counterintelligence at its very best and under the most difficult and sensitive of circumstances. Robert P. Bucciarelli, a priest affiliated with Opus Dei, a conservative Catholic organization the Hanssens had joined several years earlier. As they took him into custody, Hanssen turned to one and said, What took you so long?. 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. Hanssen wanted to be posted to Allenwood in hopes that he might be visited frequently by his wife Bonnie and their six children. One notable example was the information that the Americans had dug a tunnel under the Russian embassy in Washington to install sophisticated listening devices. May 10, 2002 - Is sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole. ThoughtCo, Aug. 28, 2020, thoughtco.com/robert-hanssen-4587832. Robert Philip Hansen thought he was smarter than the system. He spied for the Soviets . He became an agent in 1976, and spent two years working in the Indianapolis, Indiana, field office. Today in Security. The agencies initially focused primarilyand incorrectlyon a veteran CIA case officer, who was investigated for nearly two years. Written by on 27 febrero, 2023. He used encrypted communications, dead drops, and other clandestine methods to provide information to the KGB and its successor agency, the SVR. Sun, Feb 12, 2023. . Accused FBI spy Hanssen cuts deal. 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. She said she had none, and the polygraph showed no indication of deception, Ms. Brookner said. Hanssen refused. Most of all, he betrayed himself. agent sentenced to life in prison on Friday after he pleaded guilty to spying for Moscow off and on for more than 20 years. ', Before I could blink, [Hanssen] had the lapels of my sport coat twisted in his fists and curled me up to eye level, leaving my toes tipping for balance on the floor. By ABC News. They never lived the high life; they never even went out to dinner, she said. She said her husband told her he had received about $30,000 from the Soviets -- more than has previously been disclosed -- but he had spent much of it. The following year, he married Darla Henrichson, with whom he went on to have two children. The test lasted several hours. by Tammy A. DiNicola. 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. But, she said, she was determined to hold her husband to the deal. In one letter to his Russian handlers, Hanssen complains about lost opportunities to alert them that the FBI had discovered the microphone hidden at the State Department, known then by the FBI but apparently not by Hanssen as being monitored by a Russian intelligence officer. robert hanssen childrenjennifer nicholson mark norfleet 27 februari, 2023 . There is insanity in all the answers.. One day, she said, she found her husband scurrying to cover up some papers in the basement of their home in Scarsdale, N.Y. Hanssen reportedly lavished cash and gifts on a Washington stripper whom he befriended. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Another government official confirmed that Mrs. Hanssen was given a polygraph test and said she had passed it. He betrayed his best friend, offering him up to the KGB. . She did not want her husband to be tempted to work for the Russians again, she told the Justice Department. 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. 2. Robert Hanssen is a former FBI agent notorious for committing treason and selling state secrets to the Soviets (later the Russians). Timeline. 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. But something went wrong and when the two men showed up in the parking garage, the FBI car wasnt there. He had opportunity. He reportedly told his supervisors in 1990 that he suspected that Robert Hanssen was a spy after his own wife told him that, during a visit to the Hanssen home, Mrs. Hanssen told her she had become alarmed after discovering $5,000. The bureau had not asked her to take a polygraph test after her husband's arrest in February 2001. Children: Lisa, Greg, Mark, John "Jack," Sue and Jane Education: Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, A.B. During the early 1990s, KGB veterans began to approach western intelligence agencies and provide information. 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. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much 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. One day in February, when Hanssen was away, ONeill took a risk and snuck into his boss office. Finally, he warned: The US can be errantly likened to a powerfully built but retarded child, potentially dangerous, but young, immature and easily manipulated. In school, he was bullied for his acne, girls would not talk to him, and he also developed a stutter. Robert Hanssen, FBI Agent Who Became a Soviet Mole. Clearly she doesnt approve of what hes done, and there was a whole part of this man she doesnt know, but I think with her deep religious convictions, he will, at least in mind and in spirit, continue to be her husband and the father of her children., Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Caregiver accused in Manhattan Beach child sexual abuse case believed to be in Philippines, Prosecution presents closing arguments in Alex Murdaugh murder trial, Intel agencies say theres no sign adversaries were behind Havana syndrome, Before and after photos from space show storms effect on California reservoirs, Dramatic before and after photos from space show epic snow blanketing SoCal mountains, Yet more rain expected to hit California in March. Hansen even notched up a few local hunting records. 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. All three were arrested; two were executed. Authors Lawrence Schiller and Norman Mailer at the Omni Hotel, where they spoke about their new book "Into the Mirror . It is also one which can turn ingenious quickly, like an idiot savant, once convinced of a goal.. December 2000 - The FBI begins surveillance of Hanssen. A feature film called "Breach" was released in 2007. 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. 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. 42-67.) Friends of Hanssen later came forward and told journalists that Hanssen had exhibited eccentric behavior, which included an obsession with pornography. As alleged, he did so using a variety of sophisticated means of communication, encryption, and dead drops. Sunday night the FBI arrested Robert Philip Hanssen who has been charged with committing espionage. After his first wife left him, Hansen was released from prison in late 1962. Anyone can read what you share. A feature film called Breach was released in 2007. Only David Wise could tell the astonishing, full story, and he does so, in masterly style, in Spy. Literally, Hanssens colleagues and coworkers at the FBI conducted this investigation and did so quietly, securely and without hesitation. On February 18, 2001, Hanssen was arrested and charged with committing espionage on behalf of Russia and the former Soviet Union. Before Hanssen left the position, Sullivan went to learn his new role at the Department of State. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Gray Day: My Undercover Mission to Expose Americas First Cyber Spy, My boss records all the conversations in our office, China's secret police are actively hunting people on US soil, Cuomo mocks Biden over China spy balloon debacle, Biden, DOJ scrapping FBI China initiative led to more spying: security experts. Over the next few years, she said, she questioned him about whether he was working with the Russians once more. But in 1999, while assigned as an FBI liaison with the State Department, he once again began selling American secrets. He pled. 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. (They took Hanssens Ford and the plan to search his car was dropped for the time being.). 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. headquarters in a senior counterintelligence post, he told his wife that he had paid off the debt, she told the Justice Department. Instead, he ultimately became the most damaging spy in Bureau history. Now 74, he is serving time at ADX Florence, the federal supermax prison in Colorado. . His assistant, Eric ONeill, was tasked with keeping investigators apprised of Hanssens movements. But Brookner said Hanssens 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. 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. But Hanssen couldn't afford the lifestyle that he thought he deserved. 02 victoria warehouse manchester. By the time Hanssen and ONeill returned to the office, things seemed normal. Through our cooperative efforts, the FBI and CIA were able to learn the true identity of Ramon and the FBI was able to conduct a solid investigation. Undated file photo released by the FBI February 20, 2001 shows a package recovered at the 'Lewis' drop site containing $50,000 cash allegedly left by Russians for FBI Agent Robert Philip Hanssen. It is alleged that Hanssen provided to the former Soviet Union and subsequently to Russia substantial volumes of highly classified information that he acquired during the course of his job responsibilities in counterintelligence. Read more Print length 352 pages The tension would not lessen over the next few days, with Hanssen telling ONeill he was a worthless clerk.. '', See the article in its original context from. After a few years working as an accountant, he decided to enter law enforcement. 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 . He betrayed his children. ONeill would have no problem achieving that but he did have a major concern. Hanssen would now be ONeills boss. Investigators learned that Hanssen was set to make a dead drop on February 18, 2001. Mrs. Hanssen said she demanded that her husband go with her to see their Roman Catholic priest to confess. By Sherri Day. Suit David Huband Photographer Catherine Burdon Agent Nece He didnt see the PalmPilot, but there was a messenger bag and it was a jackpot: full of data disks, financial statements, a passport and a second cellphone. Did you see it?. 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. 91 Followers. The Soviets, suspicious of being lured into a trap, demanded to meet him. 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. 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 . 1980 - Begins working for the counterintelligence unit, focusing on the Soviet Union. He could sit in his office and shut the door. In the face of worldwide publicity about one of the most damaging espionage breaches in U.S. history, Bonnie Hanssen, 54, has maintained a steadfast silence since her husband of nearly 30 years was arrested in February near their home in suburban Washington. Upon becoming a special agent on January 12, 1976, Hanssen was transferred to the FBI's Gary, Indiana, field office. Two and a half years ago, the FBI arrested Robert Hanssen, a 22-year veteran of the bureau, for selling secrets to Russia. During his second round of dealing with Russian agents, Hanssen was much more cautious. . The one thing the father and son would eventually have in common is their interest in hunting. He betrayed his wife. The complaint, however, does not allege any compromises by him at the State Department. Its amazing to live with a man for all those years and not know him.. Joining the FBI in the height of the Cold War, Robert Hanssen dreamed of the exciting life of a spy. 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. As alleged in the complaint, computer forensic analysis, substantial covert surveillance, court authorized searches and other sensitive techniques revealed that Hanssen has routinely accessed FBI records and clandestinely provided those records and other classified information to Russian intelligence officers. His target would be Robert Hanssen, a 25-year FBI veteran that the bureau suspected might be the most treacherous and damaging double agent in US history. 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. 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. Complemented by substantial FBI proactive investigation of foreign service intelligence officers here and by the time.. Later, they moved to Anchorage, Alaska, and he also developed a stutter FBI arrested Philip... With pornography unit that investigated corruption federal supermax prison in Colorado his second round of with! Boss office headquarters in a senior counterintelligence post, he is serving at... Thing the father and son would eventually have in common is their interest hunting... The Soviet Union at the Department of State they moved to Anchorage, Alaska, and also. 10, 2002 - is sentenced to life in prison on Friday after he pleaded guilty spying. 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A feature film called Breach was released from prison in Colorado: //www.thoughtco.com/robert-hanssen-4587832 ( accessed March 1, 2023 to.