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Robert HanssenFBI agent convicted of spying for the USSR and Russia
Date of Birth: 18.04.1944
Country:  Russia |
Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Military Service
- Career with the FBI
- Espionage Activities
- Arrest, Trial, and Imprisonment
Early Life and Education
Robert Hanssen was born in Chicago, Illinois to Howard and Vivian Hanssen. His father worked in the Chicago Police Department. After graduating from high school, Hanssen attended Knox College in Galesburg, where he earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry and Russian. He then pursued a master's degree in business administration from Northwestern University.
Military Service
Following his graduation, Hanssen briefly worked for an accounting firm. In 1972, he joined the Chicago Police Department, where he served as an investigator in the Internal Security Division.
Career with the FBI
In January 1976, Hanssen transferred to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He initially worked in Gary, Indiana, before being assigned to the FBI's New York City office in 1978. There, he initially handled accounting for the Criminal Investigative Division before moving to the counterintelligence unit.
In 1981, Hanssen was transferred to Washington, D.C., where he worked in the FBI's budget office. Two years later, he joined the Soviet Analytical Unit.
Espionage Activities
According to the prosecution, Hanssen began spying for the Soviet Union in 1985. He allegedly provided the Soviets with information about American electronic surveillance, a tunnel dug by the FBI beneath the new Soviet embassy, and the identities of several KGB double agents working for the United States.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Hanssen cut off contact with Soviet intelligence. He resumed his spying for Russian intelligence in 1999.
Arrest, Trial, and Imprisonment
On February 18, 2001, Hanssen was arrested while hiding classified documents in a dead drop location. He reached a plea agreement, pleading guilty to some charges in exchange for having others dropped.
Hanssen was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He is currently incarcerated at the ADX Florence supermax prison.
