Hanssen began spying for the Soviet Union in 1979, later continuing his espionage activities for Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
FLORENCE, CO (DNTV): Robert Hanssen, a former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent, and convicted spy was found dead in his cell Monday according to The Federal Bureau of Prisons in Florence, Colorado. He was 79 years old.
A statement from the Federal Bureau of Prisons, at the United States Penitentiary in Florence, Colorado, where he was serving a life sentence, “Hanssen was discovered unresponsive shortly before 7 a.m. After extensive life-saving measures by emergency medical personnel, he was officially declared deceased.” The cause of death was not specified in the statement.
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. Instead, he ultimately became the most damaging spy in Bureau history.
Hanssen was a former FBI agent who became one of the most notorious spies in American history. He was born on April 18, 1944, in Chicago, Illinois. Hanssen joined the FBI in 1976 and spent much of his career working in counterintelligence.
Unknown to his colleagues, Hanssen began spying for the Soviet Union in 1979, later continuing his espionage activities for Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union. He provided valuable classified information to the Russians, compromising numerous intelligence operations and endangering the lives of American agents and assets.
Hanssen’s actions were eventually exposed in 2001 when he was arrested by the FBI. His arrest followed an investigation by the Bureau and the CIA, as well as the arrest of another Russian spy, Aldrich Ames. It was Ames’ arrest that led investigators to Hanssen.
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. Still, he was not identified as a spy.
On February 18, 2001, Hanssen was arrested and charged with committing espionage on behalf of Russia and the former Soviet Union. Hanssen—using the alias “Ramon Garcia” with his Russian handlers—had provided highly classified national security information to the Russians in exchange for more than $1.4 million in cash, bank funds, and diamonds.
Hanssen was set to retire, so investigators had to move fast. Their goal was to catch Hanssen “red handed” in espionage.
“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.
During his spying career, Hanssen had compromised numerous intelligence operations and provided the Russians with highly sensitive information, including the identities of American agents. His actions caused significant damage to national security and resulted in the deaths of multiple US assets.
In 2002, Hanssen pleaded guilty to 15 counts of espionage, conspiracy to commit espionage, and other charges. He was sentenced to life in prison at a maximum-security prison in Florence, Colorado, without the possibility of parole.
The case of Robert Hanssen stands as a significant example of espionage and betrayal within the US intelligence community, leading to increased security measures and reforms to prevent future incidents of this nature.
