Intelligence officials began debriefing Hanssen this week, defense attorney Preston Burton said Thursday. Hansen would force some of these women into the small plane that he owned and fly them to a remote location in the Alaskan wilderness. A feature film called Breach was released in 2007. By 1998, using FBI criminal profiling techniques, the pursuers suspected an innocent man: Brian Kelley, a CIA operative involved in the Bloch investigation. Kelley instead reported the incident to the FBI. [60] He refused to use the dead drop sites that his handler, Victor Cherkashin, suggested and instead chose his own. 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. Without the current unprecedented level of trust and cooperation between the CIA and FBI, making this case would not have been possible. 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. The Russian had obtained Hanssen's KGB file. The first time around, his wife divorced him after a mere half-year because of his incarceration for arson in Iowa. In 1985 he approached the Soviets again and offered valuable secrets. Though the government alleges that Robert Hanssen, 56,. His exposure explained many of the asset losses U.S. intelligence suffered during the 1980s, including the arrest and execution of Martynov and Motorin. Breaking her five-month silence, the wife of FBI spy Robert Philip Hanssen said Thursday that she deeply regrets the damage her husband has caused the United States and believes it is appropriate that he spend the rest of his life in prison. Both Ames and Hanssen compromised the names of KGB agents working secretly for the U.S., some of whom were executed for their betrayal. 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. Later he would convert to Catholicism from Lutheranism. Instead, he ultimately became the most damaging spy in. [5] His mother was Edna Margret Petersen. 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. What we wanted to do was get enough evidence to convict him, and the ultimate aim was to catch him in the act, said Debra Evans Smith, a former deputy assistant director of the Counterintelligence Division. FBI career and first espionage activities (19761981), FBI counterintelligence unit, further espionage activities (19851991), Later FBI career, continued espionage activities (19922001), Lynch, Christopher, The C.I. His bride left him after six months when Hansen was put in prison for setting fire to the local school district's bus barns. Press Release - Veteran FBI Agent Arrested and Charged with Espionage, FBI.gov is an official site of the U.S. Department of Justice. He was tasked with studying all known and rumored penetrations of the FBI to find the man who had betrayed Martynov and Motorin; this meant, in effect, that he was charged with searching for himself. While Darla suspected that he had been frequenting prostitutes, she had no idea of the literal manhunt he conducted. By February 2001, about 300 personnel were working the investigation and monitoring Hanssen. May 31, 2001 - Pleads not guilty to all charges. 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. An FBI arrest team moved into position at Foxstone Park, a location where Hanssen had been spotted before by FBI surveillance. The FBI's codename for the suspected spy was "Graysuit". Hanssen also revealed a multimillion-dollar eavesdropping tunnel built by the FBI under the Soviet Embassy. I have hurt so many deeply. After leaving a friend at an airport on February 18, 2001, Hanssen drove to Virginia's Foxstone Park. He was delegated to probe police officers who were suspected of corruption. [77] David Wise wrote Spy: The Inside Story of How the FBI's Robert Hanssen Betrayed America. They have committed their lives to public service and to upholding the high standards of the FBI. [38], The existence of two Russian moles working in the U.S. security and intelligence establishment simultaneouslyAmes at the CIA and Hanssen at the FBIcomplicated counterintelligence efforts during the 1990s. 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. December 2000 - The FBI begins surveillance of Hanssen. On January 12 that year he was posted in FBIs field office in Gary, Indiana, and in 1978 he was again transferred to its field office in New York. 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. Judge Webster is uniquely qualified as a former FBI Director, CIA Director and Director of Central Intelligence to undertake this review. He is a public speaker and security When he pleaded guilty and received a 461-year prison sentence in 1984, Darla divorced him. Marriage: Bernadette Bonnie (Wauck) Hanssen (August 10, 1968-present), Children: Lisa, Greg, Mark, John Jack, Sue and Jane, Education: Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, A.B. Hanssen's story is the subject of the 2021 documentary A Spy in the FBI. [34], In 1994, Hanssen expressed interest in a transfer to the new National Counterintelligence Center, which coordinated counterintelligence activities. After a few years working as an accountant, he decided to enter law enforcement. Robert Hanssen, FBI Agent Who Became a Soviet Mole. When O'Neill could briefly obtain Hanssen's PDA and have agents download and decode its encrypted contents, the FBI had decisive evidence. https://www.thoughtco.com/robert-hanssen-4587832 (accessed January 18, 2023). To closely oversee his activities, the FBI relocated him in its headquarters in January 2001. Hanssen pled guilty to 15 counts of espionage on July 6, 2001. 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. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. July 6, 2001 - Pleads guilty to 15 counts of espionage and conspiracy in exchange for the government not seeking the death penalty. Robert was described as a loner and a quiet person, and he had a strained relationship as well with his strict and dominating father. [37], During the same period, Hanssen searched the FBI's internal computer case record to see if he was being investigated. Martynov and Motorin were condemned to death and executed via a gunshot to the back of the head. Hansen would frequent the strip clubs in the area. In January 1976, he left the police department to join the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).[4]. [72], Hanssen was the subject of a 2002 made-for-television movie, Master Spy: The Robert Hanssen Story, with the teleplay by Norman Mailer and starring William Hurt as Hanssen. Once there, he would turn them loose and begin a human hunting expedition. Updated [41] The idea that an FBI agent was the second mole was not considered early enough. 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. 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 was the single most devastating mole in US history, and compromised more CIA assets than anyone in history, until Robert Hanssen that is. Ames was arrested in 1994. What Happened To Serial Killer Robert Hansen's Children? 2. We dont know at this point what happened to that money, she said. 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 detailed to the Office of Foreign Missions at the Department of State from 1995 to 2000. Hanssens espionage activities began in 1985. His Russian contacts and Hanssen were highly trained in espionage techniques and were able to work together without ever meeting. Ames was officially blamed for giving Polyakov's name to the Soviets, while Hanssen's attempt was not revealed until after his 2001 capture. 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 news that he used to literally hunt women and kill them after sexually assaulting them sent shockwaves through the state of Alaska, and on occasion, even beyond its borders. Through Attorney General John Ashcroft, I would like to thank the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. 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. In 1978, he and his growing family of three children (and eventually six) relocated to New York City when the FBI transferred him to its field office there. Two fingerprints collected from a trash bag in the file were analyzed and proved to be Hanssen's. Hanssen was recalled yet again to Washington, D.C., in 1987. He was sentenced to life in prison. Regrettably, I stand here today both saddened and outraged. 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. He urged fellow Catholics in the FBI to attend Mass more often and denounced the Russians as "godless", even though he had been spying for them. 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. The FBI planned to use it for eavesdropping but never did for fear of being caught. In school, he was bullied for his acne, girls would not talk to him, and he also developed a stutter. Though both Hansen and his wife earned respectable incomes, it would . FBI leadership decided Hanssen needed to be removed from his temporary position and brought back to FBI Headquarters. He emerged as one of the most damaging spies to have infiltrated the FBI resulting in probably the worst intelligence disaster in the history of the US. His wife was a teacher of theology at Oakcrest. 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. After Ames's arrest in 1994, some of these intelligence breaches remained unsolved. She would then use this money to run her house and support her children. (Serial Killer) Robert Christian Hansen was a convicted serial killer from America who abducted, raped, and murdered at least 17 women in and around Anchorage, Alaska, in the 1970s and early 1980s. But money is tight, she said, and the former housewife has taken a teaching job at her daughters school in Virginia. Its difficult, but its better than seeing him put to death.. 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. For a while he was in contact with Priscilla Sue Galey, a stripper in Washington, who received cash, jewelry and other benefits from Hanssen. [21][29] On two occasions, Hanssen gave the Soviets a complete list of American double agents. [35] Three years later, convicted FBI mole Earl Edwin Pitts told the FBI that he suspected Hanssen due to the Mislock incident. Robert Hansen died at the age of 75 in 2014, still safely behind bars (via theAnchorage Daily News). After the transfer, while on a business visit back to Washington, D.C., he resumed his espionage career. He went to the Russian embassy in person and physically approached a GRU officer in the parking garage. The FBI believes that the Russians never knew the name of their source. [53] Upon being arrested, Hanssen asked, "What took you so long?" He was charged with selling U.S. intelligence documents to the Soviet Union and subsequently Russia for more than $1.4 million in cash and diamonds over 22 years. The priest told Hanssen to stop his illegal activities and donate the money he had gotten from the Russians to charity. Darla fled the state to Arkansas, where she had family. [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. The FBI entrusted him with some of the most sensitive secrets of the United States Government and instead of being humbled by this honor, Hanssen has allegedly abused and betrayed that trust. "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. Literally, Hanssens colleagues and coworkers at the FBI conducted this investigation and did so quietly, securely and without hesitation. We particularly appreciate the unhesitating leadership and support of Attorney General Ashcroft from the moment he took office. He then applied and was accepted into the FBI. All his six children went to schools linked with Opus Dei. The 2007 documentary Superspy: The Man Who Betrayed the West describes the hunt to trap Hanssen. Hanssen's children returned to school within days of his arrest, family and friends said, to maintain their routines. McNamara, Robert. Brian Blomquist. After being released, he met his second wife, Darla Henrichsen, and the pair got married in 1963. Still, he was not identified as a spy. 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. On July 6, 2001, he was tried in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on fifteen counts for his espionage. The plea bargain spared Hanssen the death penalty. He continued with his counter-intelligence work after being shifted to the New York field office in 1985. In short, the trusted insider betrayed his trust without detection. 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. [49][50][51], During his final days with the FBI, Hanssen began to suspect something was wrong. [4][42], FBI investigators later made progress during an operation where they paid disaffected Russian intelligence officers to deliver information on moles. 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.. Eric Michael O'Neill is an American former FBI counter-terrorism and counterintelligence operative. The CIA and FBI searched his house, tapped his telephone, and surveilled him, following him and his family everywhere. appreciated. Robert J. McNamara is a history expert and former magazine journalist. [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]. [4] He was spying at the same time as Aldrich Ames in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The agencies initially focused primarilyand incorrectlyon a veteran CIA case officer, who was investigated for nearly two years. Ames had been stationed in Rome at the time of the Bloch investigation and could not have known about that case or the tunnel under the embassy, as he did not work for the FBI.[39][40]. [69], Hanssen frequently visited D.C. strip clubs and spent a great deal of time with a Washington stripper named Priscilla Sue Galey. 2000 - The FBI identifies Hanssen from a fingerprint and from a tape recording supplied by a disgruntled Russian intelligence operative. Hanssen later joined the Catholic organization Opus Dei[13] with like-minded individuals. They attended Mass weekly and were very active in Opus Dei. But police also found an aviation map Hansen had marked with various X's, later revealed to be his kill map (via Murderpedia). Hanssen was finally discovered when a former KGB agent contacted American intelligence agents. He did well in his elective, Russian. January 12, 2001 - Hanssen is reassigned from counterintelligence to an obscure office at FBI headquarters. Hanssen wanted to be posted to Allenwood in hopes that he might be visited frequently by his wife Bonnie and their six children. He will report directly to the Attorney General and me and we will share his report with the National Security Council and Congress. [27][28] When the Soviets began construction on a new embassy during 1977, the FBI dug a tunnel beneath their decoding room. FBI agents remove evidence from Robert Hanssen's home in Vienna, Virginia on February 20, 2001. . They never lived the high life; they never even went out to dinner, she said. After being imprisoned, Hanssen claimed he periodically admitted his espionage to priests in confession. [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. His active and long stint as a Soviet spy began on October 1, 1985, when he sent an unsigned letter to KGB, where he mentioned the names of at least three agents of KGB who were covertly serving FBI. FBI and CIA personnel who debriefed Hanssen about his 21 years. After graduating from a public high school, Hanssen attended Knox College in Illinois, studying chemistry and Russian. A TV movie called Master Spy: The Robert Hanssen Story was released in 2002. Hanssen reportedly lavished cash and gifts on a Washington stripper whom he befriended. 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 his office, Hanssen had full access to the FBIs Automated Case Support (ACS) system and the State Departments computer systems. To the residents of the quiet suburb of Vienna, Virginia, Robert Hanssen was the perfect neighbor. During his second round of dealing with Russian agents, Hanssen was much more cautious. In 1991, he discontinued selling classified information to KGB after the collapse of Soviet Union and also probably because the FBI was on the lookout for a probable defector. "Butcher, Baker" was adapted into the 2013 film "The Frozen Ground," starring Nicholas Cage, John Cusack, and Vanessa Hudgens (per IMDb). He also believed he heard noises on his car radio that indicated it was bugged, although the FBI was later unable to reproduce the noises Hanssen claimed to have heard. While not identifying himself, he was able to gain their trust by initially providing information which the Soviets found both credible and valuable. Described as. The full extent of the damage done is yet unknown because no accurate damage assessment could be conducted without jeopardizing the investigation. That effort is complemented by substantial FBI proactive investigation of foreign service intelligence officers here and by the critical work done by the CIA. In 1999, the FBI even interrogated Kelley, his ex-wife, two sisters, and three children. 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. This brief union did not produce any children. 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. Hanssen is a Special Agent of the FBI with a long career in counterintelligence. In return, he received large sums of money and other remuneration. The Hanssens are active members of Opus Dei, a conservative Catholic group. Biography of Vladimir Putin: From KGB Agent to Russian President, Biography of Mata Hari, Infamous World War I Spy, Haym Salomon, Spy and Financier of the American Revolution, Biography of Virginia Hall, WWII's Most Wanted Spy, Biography of Fred Hampton, Black Panther Party Leader, Biography of Robert Kennedy, US Attorney General, Presidential Candidate, John Dillinger's Life as Public Enemy Number 1, Biography of Nikita Khrushchev, Cold War Era Soviet Leader. Polyakov was carefully watched by the Russians from that point on, and was eventually arrested as a spy and executed in 1988. [71], The Hanssen spy case is told in Ronald Kessler's book The Secrets of the FBI in chapter 15, "Catching Hanssen," chapter 16, "Breach", and chapter 17, "Unexplained Cash", based in part on interviews with Michael Rochford, who directed the FBI team that eventually caught Hanssen after initially wrongly assuming a CIA officer was the master spy. Discovery Company. There he served as an investigator of internal affairs with specialisation in forensic accounting. When they failed to appear, the Justice Department announced the arrest on February 20. In 1971 he earned his Master in Business Administration in accounting and information systems. 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. Our joint efforts over the last several years and specifically in this case should give pause to those contemplating betrayal of the Nations trust. Hanssen's superiors were not amused and began an investigation. In May 2002, Hanssen was sentenced to life in prison. Authorities say Hanssen was driven by greed, but Brookner rejected that assertion. At least two movies have been made about Hanssen. The agents working for him reported this breach to a supervisor, but no action was taken. At present he is serving his fifteen successive life terms at a federal supermax prison, the ADX Florence. [63], According to USA Today, those who knew the Hanssens described them as a close family. 1980 - Begins working for the counterintelligence unit, focusing on the Soviet Union. He met his second wife, Darla, shortly after his parole. WASHINGTON - Convicted FBI spy Robert Hanssen, who's set to be sentenced to life in prison tomorrow, asked his best friend to drug and have sex with . Hansen was convicted in 1984 after confessing to killing 17 women, mostly dancers and prostitutes, during a 12-year span. 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. 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. An official website of the United States government. For many years, the CIA and FBI have been aggressively engaged in a sustained analytical effort to identify foreign penetrations of the Intelligence Community. Thereafter he enrolled in Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois and in 1966 completed his bachelor degree with Chemistry as major. The following year he was shifted to counter-intelligence division where he was delegated the job of organising data of Soviet intelligence. In 1979, three years after joining the FBI, Hanss Yet Brookner said Bonnie Hanssen has no intention of divorcing her husband. Hanssen met Bernadette "Bonnie" Wauck, a staunch Roman Catholic, while attending dental school at Northwestern. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 Hanssen became much more wary. 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. He relayed secret information to Russia regarding US intelligence and counterintelligence operations. Born In: Chicago, Illinois, United States. In what is now considered the largest intelligence breach in FBI history, Robert Hanssen's scandal made him millions in diamonds and cash, but cost the FBI $7 million and the lives of three informants. His assistant, Eric ONeill, was tasked with keeping investigators apprised of Hanssens movements. He also independently disclosed the identity of two KGB officials who, first compromised by Aldrich Ames, had been recruited by the U.S. Government to serve as agents in place at the Soviet Embassy in Washington. ThoughtCo, Aug. 28, 2020, thoughtco.com/robert-hanssen-4587832. He passed on data related to surveillance activities of FBI and provided the GRU with data of suspected Soviet intelligence spies. 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. Robert was born in 1939 in Iowa to Danish immigrants Christian and Edna Hansen. In 1993, he took a daring step by personally approaching a GRU official to offer his espionage, mentioning his codename Ramon Garcia, but the official turned him away. He also paid visits to various sex workers, two of whom filed complaints to the police about Hansen and his strange and terrifying behaviors. Robert Hanssen's business cards, chalk and thumb tacks, which he used to communicate with his Russian contacts, according to the FBI. "Robert Hanssen, FBI Agent Who Became a Soviet Mole." [52], However, Hanssen's suspicions did not stop him from making one more dead drop. The investigation is covered in O'Neill's memoir Gray Day: My Undercover Mission to Expose America's First Cyber Spy, published by Penguin Random House in the spring of 2019. 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. 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. His application in the National Security Agency, for the post of a cryptographer, was rejected due to budget restrictions. 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. A digital investigation found that an attempted hacking had occurred using a password cracking program installed by Hanssen, which caused a security alert and lockup. Hansen even followed in his fathers footsteps and opened up his own bakery. Robert J. McNamara is a history expert and former magazine journalist. The Hanssens were associated with the Catholic fraternal order Opus Dei. 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. Galey claims that although she offered to have sex with him, Hanssen declined, saying he was trying to convert her to Catholicism. As alleged, he did so using a variety of sophisticated means of communication, encryption, and dead drops. No one knew Hansen was abducting some of these women and killing them for sport. The damage Hanssen did was considerable. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/robert-hanssen-6997.php. Though the Russians made an official protest, he managed to get away with it as FBIs probe in this matter did not make any progress. He worked as a policeman in Chicago for three years and was placed on an elite unit that investigated corruption. Robert Phillip Hanssen was born in Chicago, Illinois, on April 18, 1944. While the risk that an employee of the United States Government will betray his country can never be eliminated, there must be more that the FBI can do to protect itself from such an occurrence. [56][57], Hanssen never told the KGB or GRU his identity and refused to meet them personally, except for the abortive 1993 contact in the Russian embassy parking garage. [67], At Hanssen's suggestion, and without his wife's knowledge, a friend named Jack Hoschouer, a retired Army officer, would sometimes watch the Hanssens having sex through a bedroom window.

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