Please be aware how deeply Mrs. Hanssen regrets the damage that her husband, Robert Hanssen, has caused to our country and to their family, the statement said. 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. . When told that he would have to take a lie detector test to join, Hanssen changed his mind. Our hearts go out to them. In his communications with the Russians (some of which were eventually made public after his arrest) he insisted on setting the terms of how he would communicate, pass information, and pick up money. [58] Going by the alias "Ramon" or "Ramon Garcia",[59] Hanssen exchanged intelligence and payments through an old-fashioned dead drop system in which he and his KGB handlers left packages in public, unobtrusive places. The October 1 letter began a long, active espionage period for Hanssen. Robert Hanssen's business cards, chalk and thumb tacks, which he used to communicate with his Russian contacts, according to the FBI. For instance, a piece of adhesive tape placed on a sign in a park in Virginia would indicate that a package had been placed in a "dead drop" location, which was usually under a small footbridge in the park. A lock () or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. At one point Hanssen spoke to a Russian agent over a pay phone, but they generally relied on placing signals in public places. Authorities say Hanssen was driven by greed, but Brookner rejected that assertion. Further, the complaint alleges that Hanssen, using his training and experience to protect himself from discovery by the FBI, never met face-to-face with his Russian handlers, never revealed to them his true identity or where he worked, constantly checked FBI records for signs he and the drop sites he was using were being investigated, refused any foreign travel to meet with the Russians, and even declined to accept any trade craft. Hanssen never displayed outward signs that he was receiving large amounts of unexplained cash. 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. 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. 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. Ames was arrested in 1994. 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. 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. Hanssen met Bernadette "Bonnie" Wauck, a staunch Roman Catholic, while attending dental school at Northwestern. , . His espionage was described by the Department of Justice as "possibly the worst intelligence disaster in U.S. 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. [4][42], FBI investigators later made progress during an operation where they paid disaffected Russian intelligence officers to deliver information on moles. Butcher, Baker: The True Account of an Alaskan Serial Killer. 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. [70] Hanssen gave her money, jewels, and a used Mercedes-Benz but ended contact with her before his arrest when she began abusing drugs and doing sex work. As alleged, he did so using a variety of sophisticated means of communication, encryption, and dead drops. He often steered conversations to talk of religion and his very conservative values, which were aligned with the very conservative Catholic organization Opus Dei. What Happened To Serial Killer Robert Hansen's Children? After one teenage victim was able to escape, authorities were able to learn her abductor's identity. 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. Hansen was convicted in 1984 after confessing to killing 17 women, mostly dancers and prostitutes, during a 12-year span. Hanssen then began to videotape his sexual encounters secretly and shared the videotapes with Hoschouer. (2020, August 28). In fact, when his father passed away, Hansen inherited 17 guns from him as well. Asked what Bonnie Hanssen thinks may have motivated her husband, Brookner said: Who knows? In his office, Hanssen had full access to the FBIs Automated Case Support (ACS) system and the State Departments computer systems. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. 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. This is particularly timely as we move to the next generation of automation to support the FBIs information infrastructure. Interestingly, Hansen got married twice. After Bonnie Hanssen confronted her husband, he told her that he had been in contact with his Soviet intelligence counterparts only as a ploy to trick them with disinformation, the attorney said. When he pleaded guilty and received a 461-year prison sentence in 1984, Darla divorced him. His espionage of more than two decades had earned him cash of over 1.4 million USD and diamonds. Children: Lisa, Greg, Mark, John "Jack," Sue and Jane Education: Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, A.B. The agents working for him reported this breach to a supervisor, but no action was taken. 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. 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. [53] Upon being arrested, Hanssen asked, "What took you so long?" He went to the Russian embassy in person and physically approached a GRU officer in the parking garage. Robert Hanssen moments after being arrested. He began providing the Soviets with highly valuable material. Robert Hanssen, FBI Agent Who Became a Soviet Mole. Wikimedia Commons Robert Hanssen made over $1 million spying for the Soviets until he was caught in 2001. He was arrested while in the process of using a dead drop to clandestinely provide numerous classified documents to his Russian handler. 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. [6] To avoid the death penalty, Hanssen pleaded guilty to 14 counts of espionage and one of conspiracy to commit espionage. 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. The FBI's codename for the suspected spy was "Graysuit". [34], In 1994, Hanssen expressed interest in a transfer to the new National Counterintelligence Center, which coordinated counterintelligence activities. To closely oversee his activities, the FBI relocated him in its headquarters in January 2001. Hansen opened a bakery and learned how to fly the small plane that he purchased. O'Neill ascertained that Hanssen was using a Palm III PDA to store his information. For a while he was in contact with Priscilla Sue Galey, a stripper in Washington, who received cash, jewelry and other benefits from Hanssen. Sullivan noted that Hanssen spent a lot of time trolling ACS for information. The premise of The Frozen Ground is that a state trooper, played by Nicolas Cage, teams up with a surviving victim of a serial killerto bring him down. Hanssen's story is the subject of the 2021 documentary A Spy in the FBI. In 1999 he established contact with the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, the SVR, which was preceded by the KGB before Soviets collapse. 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. He wrote to them anonymously. Finding nothing, Hanssen decided to resume his spy career after eight years without contact with the Russians. May 9, 2002 4:00am. The prolonged abuse that he endured not only made his childhood challenging, but also chased him throughout his life. Galey claims that although she offered to have sex with him, Hanssen declined, saying he was trying to convert her to Catholicism. 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. The couple went on to have two children. When FBI agents observed this incriminating act, they rushed in to arrest Hanssen. In 1999, the FBI even interrogated Kelley, his ex-wife, two sisters, and three children. Brian Blomquist. This brief union did not produce any children. His Russian contacts and Hanssen were highly trained in espionage techniques and were able to work together without ever meeting. 1980 - Begins working for the counterintelligence unit, focusing on the Soviet Union. 2. Updated When these two KGB officials returned to Moscow, they were tried and convicted on espionage charges and executed. Hansen and Darla set down roots. The FBI trusted him with some of the most sensitive secrets of the U.S. government, and instead of upholding that trust, he abused and betrayed it. He worked in an accounting firm for a year after which he was selected in the Chicago Police Department. [20] In 1985, Hanssen was again transferred to the FBI's field office in New York, where he continued to work in counterintelligence against the Soviets. Interestingly, after being relocated to Washington in 1987, he was delegated with a specific probe which actually meant searching for himself but he tactfully managed it. The couple, however, did not have a great relationship. Hanssen, carrying a package of documents, identified himself by his Soviet code name, "Ramon Garcia", and described himself as a "disaffected FBI agent" who was offering his services as a spy. There he served as an investigator of internal affairs with specialisation in forensic accounting. [21][29] On two occasions, Hanssen gave the Soviets a complete list of American double agents. For unknown reasons[dubious discuss], the Soviets did not act against Polyakov until he was betrayed a second time by CIA mole Aldrich Ames in 1985. 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. Once there, he would turn them loose and begin a human hunting expedition. Robert Philip Hanssen is an American former Federal Bureau of Investigation double agent who spied for Soviet and Russian intelligence services against the United States from 1979 to 2001. Robert was described as a loner and a quiet person, and he had a strained relationship as well with his strict and dominating father. Our joint efforts over the last several years and specifically in this case should give pause to those contemplating betrayal of the Nations trust. The couple's relationship was fraught, and Darla, who had a master's degree in Education and taught children with learning disabilities, supported herself. McNamara, Robert. The FBI planned to use it for eavesdropping but never did for fear of being caught. This included all the FBI activities related to wiretapping and electronic surveillance, which were Hanssen's responsibility. Darla earned a living for the household as well, teaching children with disabilities. [7][8] On May 10, 2002, Hanssen was sentenced to 15 consecutive sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole. After Ames's arrest in 1994, some of these intelligence breaches remained unsolved. Wanting to get a fresh start, the newlywed couple migrated to Alaska in 1967 (per the New YorkDaily News). In 1981 he was assigned to the Budget Unit in the FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C. His job in the suburb of Vienna included electronic surveillance and wiretapping, which gave him more access to different FBI activities. [62] Hanssen took the risk of recommending to his handlers that they try to recruit his closest friend, a colonel in the United States Army. Hanssen reportedly lavished cash and gifts on a Washington stripper whom he befriended. She and her young children could remain in their home, or they could seek refuge elsewhere. ThoughtCo, Aug. 28, 2020, thoughtco.com/robert-hanssen-4587832. They paid $7 million to KGB agent Alexandr Shcherbakov[43] who had access to a file on "B". Hanssen later joined the Catholic organization Opus Dei[13] with like-minded individuals. These reports went nowhere, however (via the New York Daily News). 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. The FBI also obtains the complete original KGB dossier on Hanssen. 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. Discovery Company. Eric Michael O'Neill is an American former FBI counter-terrorism and counterintelligence operative. 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. Polyakov was carefully watched by the Russians from that point on, and was eventually arrested as a spy and executed in 1988. Hanssen gave them the name of a Russian general, Dimitri Polyakov, who had been providing information to the Americans. Robert Christian Boes Hansen was born in Estherville, Iowa, at Coleman Hospital on February 15, 1939, the elder of two children to an American mother and a Danish father. The criminal conduct alleged represents the most traitorous actions imaginable against a country governed by the Rule of Law. A proficient hunter and tracker since childhood, Hansen chased down his victims in the Alaskan wilderness with a Ruger Mini-14 and a knife. Robert Philip Hanssen is a former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent, who became infamous as a notorious double agent of the intelligence services of Soviet Union and later Russia. I intend to act swiftly on his recommendations. The one thing the father and son would eventually have in common is their interest in hunting. 1972 - Joins the Chicago Police Department. It would seem as though Hansen's children want their privacy respected, and who could blame them? Realizing the importance of the material, the United States paid $7 million for it. For these reasons, the FBI learned of his true identity before the Russians; they are learning of it only now. He could sit in his office and shut the door. Is sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole. Agents find a bag nearby containing $50,000 that they believe is Hanssens payment for the documents. Nor would many other intelligence and counterintelligence accomplishments that routinely but quietly contribute to the security of this Nation. in Chemistry, 1966; Attended Northwestern University Dental School, 1966-1968; Northwestern University, M.B.A. in Accounting and Information Systems, 1971. He will report directly to the Attorney General and me and we will share his report with the National Security Council and Congress. Hanssen wanted to be posted to Allenwood in hopes that he might be visited frequently by his wife Bonnie and their six 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. He enrolled in dental school at Northwestern University[11] but switched his focus to business after three years. Two fingerprints collected from a trash bag in the file were analyzed and proved to be Hanssen's. His job was to help assemble a database of foreign officials posted in New York who, while posing as diplomats, were actually intelligence officers spying on the United States. Hanssen's three sons attended The Heights School in Potomac, Maryland, an all-boys preparatory school. Hanssen was recalled yet again to Washington, D.C., in 1987. Martynov and Motorin were condemned to death and executed via a gunshot to the back of the head. [25] That same year, Hanssen, according to a government report, committed a "serious security breach" by revealing secret information to a Soviet defector during a debriefing. Hanssen also revealed a multimillion-dollar eavesdropping tunnel built by the FBI under the Soviet Embassy. His father, an officer of the Chicago police, often scorned and abused him emotionally. 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. 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. He met his second wife, Darla, shortly after his parole. 1991 - Breaks off relations with the KGB. 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. The FBI paid $7 million to a KGB agent to obtain a file on an anonymous mole, whom the FBI later identified as Hanssen through fingerprint and voice analysis. [63], According to USA Today, those who knew the Hanssens described them as a close family. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. In January 1976, he left the police department to join the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).[4]. [9] He is of Norwegian descent. In 1985 he approached the Soviets again and offered valuable secrets. Both Ames and Hanssen compromised the names of KGB agents working secretly for the U.S., some of whom were executed for their betrayal. One notable example was the information that the Americans had dug a tunnel under the Russian embassy in Washington to install sophisticated listening devices. None of the internal information or personnel security measures in place alerted those charged with internal security to his activities. 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. While their exact whereabouts are unknown to the public, it's suspected that they still live in the Midwest. [4] The family moved to Richmond, California in 1942, but returned to Iowa in 1949, settling in Pocahontas. After his release 20 months later, Hansen worked at putting his life back in order. 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.
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