To get the ball rolling, Hanssen was promoted from a desk job at the State Department and ONeill was given a role as Hanssens assistant. Instead, the 57-year-old defendant will be sentenced to life in prison without parole if he honors his pledge to tell the government all the secrets behind his two-decade career as a Russian spy. agent who confessed to selling secrets to Moscow, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole today by a . The Robert Hanssen Story" was released in 2002. Before Hanssen left the position, Sullivan went to learn his new role at the Department of State. ONeills next assignment would put him right into the lions den. 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. She did not want her husband to be tempted to work for the Russians again, she told the Justice Department. 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. 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. He was arrested in 2001 and sentenced to life without parole in federal prison in 2002 Born: April 14, 1944 in Chicago, Illinois Education: Knox College and Northwestern University, where he received an MBA Sunday night the FBI arrested Robert Philip Hanssen who has been charged with committing espionage. In return, he received large sums of money and other remuneration. The next day he ordered ONeill to drive him to a meeting. She would then use this money to run her house and support her children. As part of that review, the inspector general asked Mrs. Hanssen to take a polygraph test, just days before the sentencing. Id answer neither. A feature film called Breach was released in 2007. A bakery owner by trade, Hansen was also an avid outdoorsman and. Hanssen was set to retire, so investigators had to move fast. Hanssen was an FBI agent for 25 years, but he was also a spy for the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation . 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. At their very first meeting, ONeill reached out his hand and began to introduce himself. February 18, 2001 - Is arrested in a Virginia park after making a drop of classified documents. He was en route to a third spot to pick up his payment of $50,000 when he was stopped by screeching FBI vans and a slew of armed agents. Browse 139 robert hanssen stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Many of them were agents of the Soviet intelligence agency, the KGB, or its military counterpart, the GRU. The Hanssen case was regarded as a low point for the FBI, especially as Hanssen had been so trusted and had committed such betrayals for so many years. 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. I left that memo in your inbox, ONeill replied. A Justice Department spokesman, citing the inspector general's continuing review of the Hanssen case, refused to comment. May 16, 2001 - Is indicted on 21 counts of spying for the Soviet Union/Russia and passing top secret material to the Soviet Union/Russia. 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. In fact, he had already betrayed one of the United States' most important agents: Gen. Dmitri Polyakov of the G.R.U. [14] He wears a revolver in an ankle holster and keeps an automatic [weapon] in his desk., In response, Alleman took a sip of her coffee to hide her smile., Fine, ONeill said. Most of all, he betrayed himself. 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. In fact, her husband resumed his espionage career. The plea bargain spared Hanssen the death penalty. 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. 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.. When Eric ONeills supervisor turned up unannounced at his Washington, DC-area home early on a Sunday morning, the still-groggy FBI employee was perplexed. 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. 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. I dont think there was anybody more shocked by all this, Brookner said. All Rights Reserved. Why is it so important to take [that] car? Hanssen demanded to know. He was arrested while in the process of using a dead drop to clandestinely provide numerous classified documents to his Russian handler. 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 Robert Hanssen Story" was released in 2002. During the early 1990s, KGB veterans began to approach western intelligence agencies and provide information. Mr. Hanssen agreed, and his wife, pregnant with their fourth child, was relieved. The plea bargain allows Bonnie Hanssen to receive about 55% of Hanssens pension, which will total an estimated $39,000 per year. Discovery Company. That effort is complemented by substantial FBI proactive investigation of foreign service intelligence officers here and by the critical work done by the CIA. His most notorious attack was when he planted three pipe bombs filled with nails in the main square of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, killing 44-year-old Alice Hawthorne, causing a fatal heart attack for 40-year-old Melih Uzunyol, and injuring over a hundred others. According to . 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. The Hanssens are active members of Opus Dei, a conservative Catholic group. Long-lost ship found at the bottom of Lake Huron, confirming story of tragic collision, TikTok to set default daily time limit of up to 60 minutes for minors, The chance of a lifetime: Five friends ski the tallest mountain in Los Angeles, Shocking, impossible gas bills push restaurants to the brink of closures, TikTok faces bans in a number of countries over security fears. After graduating from a public high school, Hanssen attended Knox College in Illinois, studying chemistry and Russian. He was, after all, a trained counterintelligence specialist. Asked what Bonnie Hanssen thinks may have motivated her husband, Brookner said: Who knows? Before her May 7 polygraph test began, Justice Department investigators read Mrs. Hanssen her Miranda rights, her Washington lawyer, Janine Brookner, said. He pled. An FBI arrest team moved into position at Foxstone Park, a location where Hanssen had been spotted before by FBI surveillance. She said she told the bureau the same thing immediately after her husband's arrest last year. 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. 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 complaint, however, does not allege any compromises by him at the State Department. During his 15 years as an alleged Russian mole, Robert Hanssen had access to many vital . Chicago Tribune July 4, 2001. A former FBI Supervisory Special Agen. On this day in history (February 18), one of the most famous and damaging insiders within the FBI, Robert Philip Hanssen was arrested. McNamara, Robert. You know hes armed and Im not. 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. 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. 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. 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. Did you encounter any technical issues? 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. 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. 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. Robert Hanssen's business cards, chalk and thumb tacks, which he used to communicate with his Russian contacts, according to the FBI. The Department of Justice described his espionage as one of the worst in United States History. He then applied and was accepted into the FBI. Expert interviews recount Hanssen's life, how he stayed hidden for over 20 years, and the events leading to his arrest. Hanssen was serving as a detailee to the Office of Foreign Missions at the Department of State at the time suspicions around him arose. Or, rather, one person does. Why are we still having these debates? Read more Print length 352 pages This story has been shared 123,032 times. 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. Without the current unprecedented level of trust and cooperation between the CIA and FBI, making this case would not have been possible. By Sherri Day. Take your pick. At least two movies have been made about Hanssen. I never want you in my office again, Hanssen said. Intelligence. 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. 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