"I apologize for my behavior.
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. Hanssen's superiors were not amused and began an investigation. Wanting to get a fresh start, the newlywed couple migrated to Alaska in 1967 (per the New YorkDaily News).
He was born on April 18, 1944, in Chicago, Illinois, to Howard and Vivian Hanssen. He used encrypted communications, dead drops, and other clandestine methods to provide information to the KGB and its successor agency, the SVR. Because of his experience and training as a counterintelligence agent, Hanssen went undetected for years, although some of his unusual activities had aroused suspicion from time to time. What makes Hansen seem even more grisly than other serial killers was the way that many of his victims were murdered. Many of them were agents of the Soviet intelligence agency, the KGB, or its military counterpart, the GRU. The money Hansen generated from his bakery went elsewhere. He often steered conversations to talk of religion and his very conservative values, which were aligned with the very conservative Catholic organization Opus Dei.
The agencies initially focused primarilyand incorrectlyon a veteran CIA case officer, who was investigated for nearly two years. 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. [34], In 1994, Hanssen expressed interest in a transfer to the new National Counterintelligence Center, which coordinated counterintelligence activities. Though both Hansen and his wife earned respectable incomes, it would be revealed that it was Darla who was supporting the household. They have committed their lives to public service and to upholding the high standards of the FBI. House Belonging To Former Spy Robert Hanssen Won't Sell. 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 .
Each time, I share the pride and sanctity of those words when new agents swear to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic and to bear true faith and allegiance to the same.. Hanssen was arrested on February 18, 2001, at Foxstone Park,[5] near his home in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Vienna, Virginia, after leaving a package of classified materials at a dead drop site.
in Chemistry, 1966; Attended Northwestern University Dental School, 1966-1968; Northwestern University, M.B.A. in Accounting and Information Systems, 1971. In return, he received large sums of money and other remuneration.
However, Hanssen escaped notice, likely because these efforts concentrated on CIA agents rather than FBI agents. The Russian had obtained Hanssen's KGB file. "Butcher, Baker" was adapted into the 2013 film "The Frozen Ground," starring Nicholas Cage, John Cusack, and Vanessa Hudgens (per IMDb). [21][29] On two occasions, Hanssen gave the Soviets a complete list of American double agents.
1999 - Resumes spying, this time for the Russian Intelligence agency. He established contact with the SVR (the successor to the Soviet-era KGB) during the autumn of 1999. Hanssen was recalled yet again to Washington, D.C., in 1987. Robert Hanssen moments after being arrested.
An FBI Agent who raised his right hand and spoke those words over 25 years ago has been charged today with violating that oath in the most egregious and reprehensible manner imaginable.
1980 - Begins working for the counterintelligence unit, focusing on the Soviet Union.
Later, he hid a video camera in the bedroom connected via a closed-circuit television line so that Hoschouer could observe the Hanssens from his guest bedroom. [9] He is of Norwegian descent. 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.
This included all the FBI activities related to wiretapping and electronic surveillance, which were Hanssen's responsibility. 1981 - Is assigned to the Intelligence Division at FBI headquarters in DC. 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. The couple married in 1968, and Hanssen converted from Lutheranism to his wife's Catholicism. 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. 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.
The ensuing investigation confirmed this suspicion.
In January 1976, he left the police department to join the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).[4]. Hanssen refused. Darla fled the state to Arkansas, where she had family.
Hanssen was detailed to the Office of Foreign Missions at the Department of State from 1995 to 2000. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Six was to be added to the month, day, and time of a designated drop time, so that, for example, a drop scheduled for January 6 at 1:00p.m. would be written as July 12 at 7:00p.m..[61], Despite these efforts at caution and security, Hanssen could sometimes be reckless. For a time he planned to become a dentist, but eventually wound up obtaining an MBA and becoming an accountant.
On August 10, 1968, he married Bernadette "Bonnie" Wauck, a dedicated catholic. Press Release - Veteran FBI Agent Arrested and Charged with Espionage, FBI.gov is an official site of the U.S. Department of Justice. Leland Hale and Walter Gilmour co-authored the 1991 book "Butcher, Baker: The True Account of an Alaskan Serial Killer," chronicling the life and crimes of Robert Hansen. His espionage of more than two decades had earned him cash of over 1.4 million USD and diamonds. For two children, that was devastating.
This wedded bliss was short-lived, however. [30], In 1990, Hanssen's brother-in-law, Mark Wauck, who was also an FBI employee, recommended to the FBI that Hanssen be investigated for espionage because his sister, Hanssen's wife, told him that her sister, Jeanne Beglis, had found a pile of cash on a dresser in the Hanssens' house. [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.
Asked what Bonnie Hanssen thinks may have motivated her husband, Brookner said: Who knows? in Chemistry, 1966; Attended Northwestern University Dental School, 1966-1968;. Regrettably, I stand here today both saddened and outraged. Desk: FBI and CIA Counterintelligence As Seen From My Cubicle Dog Ear Publishing 2010, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Gray Day: My Undercover Mission to Expose America's First Cyber Spy, Spy: The Inside Story of How the FBI's Robert Hanssen Betrayed America, "USA v. Robert Philip Hanssen: Affidavit in Support of Criminal Complaint, Arrest Warrant and Search Warrant", "Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator", "A Review of FBI Security Programs (Webster Report)", "A Review of the FBI's Performance in Deterring, Detecting, and Investigating the Espionage Activities of Robert Philip Hanssen", Thompson Statement Regarding Hanssen Guilty Plea, "Spy's Wife Speaks, After Taking a Lie Test", "Riddle Resolved: Who Dimed Out American Traitor and Super-Spy, Robert Hanssen?
Thereafter he enrolled in Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois and in 1966 completed his bachelor degree with Chemistry as major. After a few years working as an accountant, he decided to enter law enforcement. His twenty two years of espionage against the US began in 1979. McNamara, Robert. I take solace and satisfaction, however, that the FBI succeeded in this investigation. [69], Hanssen frequently visited D.C. strip clubs and spent a great deal of time with a Washington stripper named Priscilla Sue Galey.
[7][8] On May 10, 2002, Hanssen was sentenced to 15 consecutive sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole. But Brookner said Hanssens family was never the beneficiary of any spy money and that Bonnie Hanssen has no idea what happened to the proceeds from his spying, including $800,000 that authorities say the Russians deposited for him in a Moscow bank. Imagine finding out that your husband is a ruthless serial rapist and murderer.
The plea bargain allows Bonnie Hanssen to receive about 55% of Hanssens pension, which will total an estimated $39,000 per year. While it did not contain Hanssen's name, among the information was an audiotape of a July 21, 1986, conversation between "B" and KGB agent Aleksander Fefelov. Clearly she doesnt approve of what hes done, and there was a whole part of this man she doesnt know, but I think with her deep religious convictions, he will, at least in mind and in spirit, continue to be her husband and the father of her children., Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Im afraid for her life: Riverside CC womens coach harassed after Title IX suit, Six people, including mother and baby, killed in Tulare County; drug cartel suspected, Want to solve climate change? 1981 - Hanssens wife catches him with classified documents and convinces him to stop spying. Robert Hansen was actually married twice. 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. [4], In 1989, Hanssen compromised the FBI investigation of Felix Bloch, a Department of State official who had become suspected of espionage. Discovery Company.
(Photo courtesy of FBI/Newsmakers).
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.
She is also challenging some of her husbands credit card bills. [41] The idea that an FBI agent was the second mole was not considered early enough. During his second round of dealing with Russian agents, Hanssen was much more cautious. In mid-2001 he was tried in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on fifteen counts as a spy and was given sentence of fifteen life terms without a chance of parole.
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.
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. [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.
For these reasons, the FBI learned of his true identity before the Russians; they are learning of it only now. On February 18, 2001, Hanssen was arrested and charged with committing espionage on behalf of Russia and the former Soviet Union.
FBI and CIA personnel who debriefed Hanssen about his 21 years. His Russian contacts and Hanssen were highly trained in espionage techniques and were able to work together without ever meeting. Judge Webster and anyone he selects to assist him will have complete access and whatever resources are necessary to complete this task. In the end, officials believed his claim that he was merely demonstrating flaws in the FBI's security system.
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. Upon becoming a special agent on January 12, 1976, Hanssen was transferred to the FBI's Gary, Indiana, field office. 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. NSD chief Johnnie Sullivan ordered the computer impounded after it seemed to have been tampered with. Finding nothing, Hanssen decided to resume his spy career after eight years without contact with the Russians. This brief union did not produce any children. McNamara, Robert. It belongs to his wife .
In 1985 he approached the Soviets again and offered valuable secrets. 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.
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While their exact whereabouts are unknown to the public, it's suspected that they still live in the Midwest. After a stint of three years he was shifted to the Soviet Analytical Unit that delved in probing, recognising and catching Soviet agents in the US. [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. 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. He married Bernadette Wauck in 1968 and, influenced by his devout Catholic wife, he converted to Catholicism. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. After the transfer, while on a business visit back to Washington, D.C., he resumed his espionage career. There he served as an investigator of internal affairs with specialisation in forensic accounting. Its amazing to live with a man for all those years and not know him..
The following year he was shifted to counter-intelligence division where he was delegated the job of organising data of Soviet intelligence. His assistant, Eric ONeill, was tasked with keeping investigators apprised of Hanssens movements. He married his second wife, Darla Henrichsen, within a few months of being released, in 1963. While Darla suspected that he had been frequenting prostitutes, she had no idea of the literal manhunt he conducted.
Hanssen met Bernadette "Bonnie" Wauck, a staunch Roman Catholic, while attending dental school at Northwestern.
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. 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.
The October 1 letter began a long, active espionage period for 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.
Polyakov was arrested in 1986 and executed in 1988. Friends of Hanssen later came forward and told journalists that Hanssen had exhibited eccentric behavior, which included an obsession with pornography. [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. He did well in his elective, Russian. Without the current unprecedented level of trust and cooperation between the CIA and FBI, making this case would not have been possible. In his office, Hanssen had full access to the FBIs Automated Case Support (ACS) system and the State Departments computer systems.
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.