Joining the FBI in the height of the Cold War, Robert Hanssen dreamed of the exciting life of a spy. So Alleman instead asked ONeill to drive Hanssen to a meeting at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) in an FBI vehicle that way, she could have someone search Hanssens car while he was out of the office. Hanssen received payments of $1.4 million in cash and diamonds from the information he gave the Soviet Union and Russia. Mr. Hanssen agreed, and his wife, pregnant with their fourth child, was relieved. (Photo courtesy of FBI/Newsmakers). After five years working at the bureau as a ghost following suspects for a living he would be stepping out of the shadows: spying on someone in plain sight. The family hopes Mr. Hanssen will be sent to the federal prison in Allenwood, Pa., which would be close enough for Mrs. Hanssen to continue to visit regularly. Spy tells, for the first time, the full, authoritative story of how FBI agent Robert Hanssen, code name grayday, spied for Russia for twenty-two years in what has been called the "worst intelligence disaster in U.S. history"-and how he was finally caught in an incredible gambit by U.S. He betrayed his children. Intelligence. Hanssen was an FBI agent for 25 years, but he was also a spy for the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation . This would be the first of many heart-stopping requests from Alleman. Hanssen appeared to be a devoted anti-communist. Hanssen lived in suburban Virginia, was married, and had six children; he was a devout Catholic who went to Mass every week, sometimes every day. 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. Authorities said they are convinced that Bonnie Hanssen--unlike the wives of several other notorious U.S. spies who helped their husbands--was not involved in Hanssens spying. Judge Webster and anyone he selects to assist him will have complete access and whatever resources are necessary to complete this task. The couple, however, did not have a great relationship. 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. Heart Of Darkness. Yet Brookner said Bonnie Hanssen has no intention of divorcing her husband. The agencies initially focused primarilyand incorrectlyon a veteran CIA case officer, who was investigated for nearly two years. During the early 1990s, KGB veterans began to approach western intelligence agencies and provide information. Christian owned a bakery and would make his son work for long hours as a kid. I slammed the door behind me and slid to a halt in Hanssens office.. The Hanssens are active members of Opus Dei, a conservative Catholic group. 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. COVID origins? 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. Stahl reports that Hanssen invited his best friend to watch him. ''He never said he was spying. Midwestern Roots Hanssen was born in April 1944, the only child of a Chicago cop. 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. 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. "She and the children clearly are innocent victims." Advertisement Robert Hanssen, 57, a former FBI counterintelligence agent, pleaded guilty last week to 15 counts of spying for Moscow. The complaint alleges that Hanssen conspired to and did commit espionage for Russia and the former Soviet Union. The Robert Hanssen Story" was released in 2002. Serial killer Robert Hansen confessed to killing 17 women in Alaska over a 12-year span, all while married with two children. He betrayed his best friend, offering him up to the KGB. The underling had 15 minutes to arrange for a car from the FBI who, this time, didnt blow its shot. According to . ''I never knew about anything else after that first time,'' Mrs. Hanssen said in the interview. 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. 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. A feature film called Breach was released in 2007. Robert Hanssen moments after being arrested. A Warner Bros. He has never answered that question for anyone. That effort is complemented by substantial FBI proactive investigation of foreign service intelligence officers here and by the critical work done by the CIA. Ms. Brookner, who arranged the interview, insisted that Mrs. Hanssen not be questioned about revelations concerning her husband's sexual obsessions. Gallagher also told Hanssen that then-Director Louis Freeh had approved a two-year extension on his service and a promotion to the Senior Executive Service. Hansen even followed in his father's footsteps and opened up his own bakery. The plea bargain allows Bonnie Hanssen to receive about 55% of Hanssens pension, which will total an estimated $39,000 per year. '', See the article in its original context from. He worked as a source for the USSR and subsequently The Russian Federation. 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. Instead, he ultimately became the most damaging spy in. 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. The complaint, however, does not allege any compromises by him at the State Department. Sullivan noted that Hanssen spent a lot of time trolling ACS for information. 1972 - Joins the Chicago Police Department. The information he delivered compromised numerous human sources, counterintelligence techniques, investigations, dozens of classified U.S. government documents, and technical operations of extraordinary importance and value. General Polyakov had been spying for the United States since the early 1960's, but soon after Mr. Hanssen told the Russians of this, General Polyakov was forced to retire and was later executed. 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. Nor can there be any doubt that he was keenly aware of the gravity of his traitorous actions. 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. Abcarian: Mask mandates? Robert J. McNamara is a history expert and former magazine journalist. Hanssen parked on a residential street and walked down a wooded path to a footbridge with the classified materials wrapped in a plastic bag. 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. Were you in my office? Hanssen leaned over my desk, his face inches from mine. At one point Hanssen spoke to a Russian agent over a pay phone, but they generally relied on placing signals in public places. I would like to ask him why he did it, ONeill told The Post. But something went wrong and when the two men showed up in the parking garage, the FBI car wasnt there. 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. Hansen even notched up a few local hunting records. ONeill, 46, left the FBI in May 2001. The criminal conduct alleged represents the most traitorous actions imaginable against a country governed by the Rule of Law. May 31, 2001 - Pleads not guilty to all charges. One day, she said, she found her husband scurrying to cover up some papers in the basement of their home in Scarsdale, N.Y. This time, Mrs. Hanssen insisted that they find a cheaper place to live than Scarsdale. Authorities say Hanssen was driven by greed, but Brookner rejected that assertion. January 30, 2003 / 4:50 PM / CBS. 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. The bureau had not asked her to take a polygraph test after her husband's arrest in February 2001. She said that her husband is ''doing about as well as can be expected,'' and that ''he is very relieved that I have the pension. His Father, Howard Hanssen, was an officer with the Chicago police department and his mother, Vivian Hanssen, was a . children: Greg Hanssen, Jane Hanssen, John Hanssen, Lisa Hanssen, Mark Hanssen, Sue Hanssen Born Country: United States Spies American Men City: Chicago, Illinois Notable Alumni: Knox College (Illinois) U.S. State: Illinois More Facts Recommended Lists: American People Kellogg School Of Management Male Spies American Spies Aries Men Hanssen was born in Chicago, Illinois on April 18, 1944 to a family of German and Polish origins. His troubles with the law continued in Anchorage as well. (I have come about as close as I ever want to come to sacrificing myself to help you, and I get silence. On this day in history (February 18), one of the most famous and damaging insiders within the FBI, Robert Philip Hanssen was arrested. Why too much original content from Netflix is bad for subs 11-year-old reads aloud from 'pornographic' book he checked out from library at school board meeting, Influencer refuses to switch business class seats so family can sit together, Ousted Chicago mayor blames loss on racism, gender but not her tepid response to crime, Gisele Bndchen wants to try again and do better after Tom Brady split, Sam Levinson accused of turning The Weeknd show The Idol into rape fantasy, Scheana Shay tears up over former friend Stassi Schroeders pregnancy news, Good luck 'worming' your way out of this one, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry have first night out since bombshell 'Spare' released. 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