It was not a very demanding job, said Sullivan. Abcarian: Mask mandates? But while the FBI could have arrested Hanssen on the spot, they would have had him only on a conspiracy charge. The wildest part? Its the one scrap of power hes kept for himself.. Realizing the importance of the material, the United States paid $7 million for it. But in 1999, while assigned as an FBI liaison with the State Department, he once again began selling American secrets. We dont know at this point what happened to that money, she said. On this day in history (February 18), one of the most famous and damaging insiders within the FBI, Robert Philip Hanssen was arrested. One eye twitched.. Follow. "Robert Hanssen, FBI Agent Who Became a Soviet Mole." But dont be fooled by that appearance. Investigators learned that Hanssen was set to make a dead drop on February 18, 2001. Why are we still having these debates? We've received your submission. 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 money is. 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. 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. According to the University of the Free State's "A Psychobiography of Robert Hansen: The 'Butcher Baker,'" Hansen was no different. The complaint alleges that Hanssen conspired to and did commit espionage for Russia and the former Soviet Union. Suit David Huband Photographer Catherine Burdon Agent Nece 2:02 PM EDT, Thu April 14, 2022, FBI Agent Robert Philip Hanssen is shown in this undated file photo, released by the FBI February 20, 2001. At some point in 1979, Hanssen made a decision to sell American secrets to the Soviets. Minutes later, ONeill extracted it from the mans bag, along with a floppy disc and a flash drive, running everything downstairs for a tech team to copy. 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. On Feb. 18, 2001, Hanssen left a package presumably full of classified documents wrapped in trash bags underneath a bridge in Foxstone Park, then placed a piece of tape at a nearby location, indicating the drop had been made. 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. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 Hanssen became much more wary. Their goal was to catch Hanssen red handed in espionage. McNamara, Robert. During his 15 years as an alleged Russian mole, Robert Hanssen had access to many vital . agent sentenced to life in prison on Friday after he pleaded guilty to spying for Moscow off and on for more than 20 years. Hanssen gave them the name of a Russian general, Dimitri Polyakov, who had been providing information to the Americans. Director Jenny Chung Writer Jenny Chung Stars Bob Aguilar Jim Babel Jeff Barber Judge Webster is uniquely qualified as a former FBI Director, CIA Director and Director of Central Intelligence to undertake this review. On February 18, 2001, Hanssen was arrested at a park in northern Virginia after he had placed a package at a dead drop location. The Robert Hanssen Story" was released in 2002. (They took Hanssens Ford and the plan to search his car was dropped for the time being.). Darla was an extremely religious woman, and she felt that faith could be his way out. For decades, the quirky but respected counterintelligence expert, religious family man, and father of six, sold top secret information to agents of the Soviet Union and Russia. They drove to New Rochelle to meet with the Rev. Hanssen was the son of a police officer. 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. 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. He could sit in his office and shut the door. Before Hanssen left the position, Sullivan went to learn his new role at the Department of State. He was Amazon.com's first-ever history editor and has bylines in New York, the Chicago Tribune, and other national outlets. 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. Id answer neither. (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 . January 30, 2003 / 4:50 PM / CBS. Expert interviews recount Hanssen's life, how he stayed hidden for over 20 years, and the events leading to his arrest. As alleged, he did so using a variety of sophisticated means of communication, encryption, and dead drops. The Soviets, suspicious of being lured into a trap, demanded to meet him. . Lesley Stahl has learned that Robert Hanssen, the FBI agent who betrayed his country, also betrayed his church and his wife. 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. As Hanssen walked back to his car, the arrest team rushed up and took him into custody. Robert Hanssen is a family man, devout Catholic, career FBI agent, and the most damaging spy in American history. Once he got caught, the only thing he cared about was trying to provide for his wife and his children, who visit him regularly in prison, Brookner said. Or, rather, one person does. Pressed to explain what he was doing, she said, he acknowledged that he was dealing with the Russians. Hanssen, in full blowhard mode, got back in the car and the two took the slow route as he lectured ONeill. He betrayed his wife. The pension was an important consideration for Hanssen in his plea negotiations, Brookner said. ONeill quickly replaced the items and ran out of the office. Most of all, he betrayed himself. Instead, he ultimately became the most damaging spy in Bureau history. agent who confessed to selling secrets to Moscow, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole today by a . '', She said her greatest ambition was to resume some form of normal life, adding, ''I would just like to disappear. At the end of the Cold War, Hanssen sold classified secrets to the Soviet and Russian intelligence services. In one deadly instance in 1985, the FBI believed Hanssen exposed three KGB agents working for the Americans. ONeill, 46, left the FBI in May 2001. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. While other spies were still chasing after paper files, Hanssen had entered the digital world. Serial killer Robert Hansen confessed to killing 17 women in Alaska over a 12-year span, all while married with two children. 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. Apparently, even though Hansen was naturally a left-handed person, he was always forced to use his right hand, making his speech problems worse. Hanssen was suspected of leaking critical US intelligence. Robert Hanssen's business cards, chalk and thumb tacks, which he used to communicate with his Russian contacts, according to the FBI. During his sessions with investigators, Hanssen claimed his motivation had always been financial. He looked the quintessential suburban dad, devoted to his wife and six kids, working a government job to. In January 2001, Hanssen moved into a small office in FBI Headquarters secretly outfitted with surveillance cameras and microphones. A feature film called "Breach" was released in 2007. 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. 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. Christopher Burgess / Feb 18, 2021. 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. Hanssen would now be ONeills boss. 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. They had two children together and were respected members of the community. Yet some investigators believed anger about how his father treated him as a child triggered a need to rebel against authority. But she was questioned in the polygraph test on her knowledge of Mr. Hanssen's later spying career. Take your pick. Sometime in the mid-1960s, Robert Hansen got married for the second time. They were deported and arrested. Interestingly, Hansen got married twice. 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. He happens to be Catholic. This story has been shared 106,031 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. Stahl reports that Hanssen invited his best friend to watch him. Couldnt this have waited till Monday? he asked. Hanssen was tracked from the time he left his house in Fairfax County, Virginia, to the time he got home at night, and it was confirmed that he was still an active spy. The plea bargain allows Bonnie Hanssen to receive about 55% of Hanssens pension, which will total an estimated $39,000 per year. 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. Children: Lisa, Greg, Mark, John "Jack," Sue and Jane Education: Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, A.B. She said she repeatedly questioned her husband to ensure that he was making the payments, and each time he insisted that he was. The Spy Who Loved Spying A good spy needs a good cover, and Hanssen had one of the best. Still, he was not identified as a spy. Hanssen had a reputation for being wildly arrogant and dour. In school, he was bullied for his acne, girls would not talk to him, and he also developed a stutter. Joining the FBI in the height of the Cold War, Robert Hanssen dreamed of the exciting life of a spy. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Hanssen received payments of $1.4 million in cash and diamonds from the information he gave the Soviet Union and Russia. Hanssen is a Special Agent of the FBI with a long career in counterintelligence. (I have come about as close as I ever want to come to sacrificing myself to help you, and I get silence. 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. 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. But from the vantage of the media, "happens to be" applies only to Pollard: Hanssen is fast-becoming known as "the Catholic spy.". 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 agencies initially focused primarilyand incorrectlyon a veteran CIA case officer, who was investigated for nearly two years. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Read more Print length 352 pages Hansen even followed in his father's footsteps and opened up his own bakery. She visits her husband in prison regularly. At one point Hanssen spoke to a Russian agent over a pay phone, but they generally relied on placing signals in public places. 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