Today hes a national-security strategist for the cyber-security company Carbon Black and runs his own investigative and security-services firm. At the time, he was assigned to counterintelligence in the F.B.I. 29:4-30:1, 2006, pp. Robert Philip Hanssen, a 27 year veteran of the FBI, was a double agent. 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. The couple, however, did not have a great relationship. Hanssens espionage activities began in 1985. By the time Hanssen and ONeill returned to the office, things seemed normal. He later wrote to his KGB handler, speaking about the severity with which U.S. laws punishes his alleged actions, and acknowledging I know far better than most what minefields are laid and the risks.. 2. I dont think there was anybody more shocked by all this, Brookner said. '', She said her greatest ambition was to resume some form of normal life, adding, ''I would just like to disappear. On February 18, 2001, Hanssen was arrested at a park in northern Virginia after he had placed a package at a dead drop location. 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. As O'Neill explained to the audience and often mentions in his book, Hanssen was ahead of his time. All Rights Reserved. When these two KGB officials returned to Moscow, they were tried and convicted on espionage charges and executed. 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. At some point in 1979, Hanssen made a decision to sell American secrets to the Soviets. She said she told the bureau the same thing immediately after her husband's arrest last year. Here was ONeills opportunity to push Hanssen to his limits. Hanssen wanted to be posted to Allenwood in hopes that he might be visited frequently by his wife Bonnie and their six children. 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. I said, No way we are taking your beat-up, boring, outdated old Ford Taurus to the DIA. 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. Days later, ONeill helped devise another plan to get Hanssen out of the office: Two senior officers dropped in unexpectedly and said they wanted to go to the shooting practice range with Hanssen during lunch. The complaint alleges that Hanssen, using the code name Ramon, engaged in espionage by providing highly classified information to the KGB and its successor agency, the SVR, using encrypted communications, dead drops, and other clandestine techniques. 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. The bureau had not asked her to take a polygraph test after her husband's arrest in February 2001. Robert was born in 1939 in Iowa to Danish immigrants Christian and Edna Hansen. Sometime in the mid-1960s, Robert Hansen got married for the second time. Literally, Hanssens colleagues and coworkers at the FBI conducted this investigation and did so quietly, securely and without hesitation. 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. ONeill needed to stall, but without arousing further suspicion. Children: Lisa, Greg, Mark, John "Jack," Sue and Jane. The agencies initially focused primarilyand incorrectlyon a veteran CIA case officer, who was investigated for nearly two years. By the time O'Neill slipped into the car on that fateful Sunday morning in 2001, an FBI operation was already underway to . According to . Hanssen was finally discovered when a former KGB agent contacted American intelligence agents. 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. Press Release - Veteran FBI Agent Arrested and Charged with Espionage, FBI.gov is an official site of the U.S. Department of Justice. 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. appreciated. In hindsight, serial killers often have traits in common and show signs of their adult inclinations as children. 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. 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. Written by on 27 febrero, 2023. He wrote to them anonymously. 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. ONeill, 46, left the FBI in May 2001. Enraged to the point that his fist was clenched in a tight ball, Hanssen ran through his usual list of insults Idiot! agent sentenced to life in prison on Friday after he pleaded guilty to spying for Moscow off and on for more than 20 years. Spy tells, for the first time, the full, authoritative story of how FBI agent Robert Hanssen, code name grayday, spied for Russia for twenty-two years in what has been called the "worst intelligence disaster in U.S. history"-and how he was finally caught in an incredible gambit by U.S. 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. While Darla suspected that he had been frequenting prostitutes, she had no idea of the literal manhunt he conducted. 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.. Serial killer Robert Hansen confessed to killing 17 women in Alaska over a 12-year span, all while married with two children. Hanssen was serving as a detailee to the Office of Foreign Missions at the Department of State at the time suspicions around him arose. I hate silence . December 2000 - The FBI begins surveillance of Hanssen. The plea bargain spared Hanssen the death penalty. Robert Hanssen (left), a 25-year career FBI man, pleaded guilty to, among other charges, 13 counts of espionage for Russia. It was not a very demanding job, said Sullivan. The Soviets, suspicious of being lured into a trap, demanded to meet him. In October 1985, he volunteered to spy for the K.G.B., the Soviet intelligence agency, by sending an anonymous letter to a K.G.B. Darla was an extremely religious woman, and she felt that faith could be his way out. 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. 2000 - The FBI identifies Hanssen from a fingerprint and from a tape recording supplied by a disgruntled Russian intelligence operative. 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. Expert interviews recount Hanssen's life, how he stayed hidden for over 20 years, and the events leading to his arrest. 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 . 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. 's New York field office. He will report directly to the Attorney General and me and we will share his report with the National Security Council and Congress. The purloined PalmPilot gave the FBI the final piece of the puzzle: Hanssens next meeting with the Russians was scheduled for the following weekend. Follow. One day, she said, she found her husband scurrying to cover up some papers in the basement of their home in Scarsdale, N.Y. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. They had two children together and were respected members of the community. A Warner Bros. 1981 - Hanssens wife catches him with classified documents and convinces him to stop spying. Who were Robert Hansen's wives and children? For many years, the CIA and FBI have been aggressively engaged in a sustained analytical effort to identify foreign penetrations of the Intelligence Community. As a young man, he seemed to be seeking a way out of the blue-collar life represented by his boyhood neighborhood. She is also challenging some of her husbands credit card bills. Robert Hanssen is a family man, devout Catholic, career FBI agent, and the most damaging spy in American history. His father was a supernumerary part of the 75% while his uncle was a numerary, part of the 25% that swore to a life of poverty and chastity. The tension would not lessen over the next few days, with Hanssen telling ONeill he was a worthless clerk.. Two were executed. Caught off guard, he grabbed his guns but not his PalmPilot. In return, he received large sums of money and other remuneration. Robert P. Hanssen, the former F.B.I. Why are we still having these debates? She said that her husband is ''doing about as well as can be expected,'' and that ''he is very relieved that I have the pension. 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. He lobbied his Russian masters to buy him a newer PalmPilot, with wireless Internet capabilities, which would allow the rapid transmission of encrypted messages. He and his wife relocated to Anchorage, Alaska in 1967. Alleman explained to ONeill that the smoking gun would be an actual information drop for the Russians. On February 18, 2001, Hanssen was arrested and charged with committing espionage on behalf of Russia and the former Soviet Union. He pleaded guilty to 15 counts of espionage in July 2001 and was sentenced to prison without the possibility of parole. January 12, 2001 - Hanssen is reassigned from counterintelligence to an obscure office at FBI headquarters. 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. This time, Mrs. Hanssen insisted that they find a cheaper place to live than Scarsdale. 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. Twenty years ago today, Hanssen was arrested on February 18, 2001 when he was . The complaint, however, does not allege any compromises by him at the State Department. Among the files was a letter from Hanssen to the Russians arranging to meet. Most of all, he betrayed himself. Hanssen appeared to be a devoted anti-communist. 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. "I have opened the door for calumny against my totally innocent wife and children. As difficult as this moment is for the FBI and for the country, I am immensely proud of the men and women who conducted this investigation. (2020, August 28). 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. Timeline. Ms. Brookner, who arranged the interview, insisted that Mrs. Hanssen not be questioned about revelations concerning her husband's sexual obsessions. In his office, Hanssen had full access to the FBIs Automated Case Support (ACS) system and the State Departments computer systems. 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. 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? Home; Features; Services; About; Contact; Login; Get Free Demo Born in 1939 to a father who forced him to work long hours at the family bakery while subjecting him to ridicule and mockery and a mother who . That effort is complemented by substantial FBI proactive investigation of foreign service intelligence officers here and by the critical work done by the CIA. However, even though Hansen would go to church with his wife, nothing really changed. As an agency, we lived up to our responsibility, regardless of how painful it might be. In 1985 he approached the Soviets again and offered valuable secrets. 's investigation of Mr. Hanssen, the former F.B.I. WASHINGTON -- Robert Hanssen, the longtime FBI agent accused of passing secrets to Moscow over 15 years, has reached a plea deal enabling him to avoid the death penalty in exchange for cooperating with investigators. In it he betrayed three Soviet officers who were working for the Central Intelligence Agency and the bureau. A few years later, they moved to Anchorage, Alaska, and had two children. Apparently, even though Hansen was naturally a left-handed person, he was always forced to use his right hand, making his speech problems worse. 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